Everton defender Vitaliy Mykolenko has sent a clear message to the club with a statement performance for Ukraine as he approaches the final year of his contract.
Despite watching his hopes of playing in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico go up in flames, Mykolenko can hold his head up high after putting in an impressive shift.
The 26-year-old travelled with the rest of the Ukrainian squad, knowing they needed a victory against Sweden to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Victory would have set up a straight shoot-out for a spot in the summer showpiece against Poland or Albania on Tuesday.
However, Mykolenko’s hopes were dashed with a 3-1 defeat, meaning the Swedes will now go on to face Poland in the qualification final after dumping out Sergiy Rebrov’s side.
Unfortunately for Mykolenko, the final result hardly reflected his exceptional performance for Ukraine.
The former Dynamo Kyiv defender has been a staple of the Everton backline since joining in January 2022, and that remains the case under David Moyes’ leadership.
He’s one of the unsung heroes of Everton’s push for European qualification, and his performances earned him a spot in Ukraine’s squad for the crucial clash against Sweden.
Mykolenko didn’t disappoint either, although a hat-trick from Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres was enough to send Ukraine crashing out of the qualification campaign.
Shipping in three goals may not be the best look, but it doesn’t fully reflect the impressive shift Mykolenko put in, and his numbers vindicate his performance.
Mykolenko recorded 106 touches and completed 100% of his attempted dribbles (2/2). He also completed 70% of his passes (52/74).
He was instrumental in getting Ukraine up the pitch with 10 passes into the final third, while recording four progressive carries (32 carries in total).
His crosses and long passes were below par against Sweden though.
Only one of his eight crosses was successful, and he could muster only 18% long-ball accuracy, completing just two of 11 attempts.
However, he made up for those mishaps by recording a perfect ground duel success rate (6/6) and also won two of his three aerial battles despite his 5ft9 frame.
That was all helped by five defensive actions that epitomised a phenomenal display from the Everton defender, although it wasn’t enough to seal an all-important victory.
Ukraine will now turn their attention to their next international friendly as they face Albania on Tuesday.
Everton must pull out all the stops to extend Mykolenko’s contract
Mykolenko has been a staple of Moyes’ Everton backline this season, and his display against Sweden is just another in a long line of impressive performances that often go under the radar.
His underlying numbers point to another positive display, yet he wasn’t happy with the overall performance from his team at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia.
The Everton ace described Ukraine’s performance as “shameful” and apologised to the supporters for what they were forced to watch on Thursday.
It wasn’t an ideal night for Mykolenko, but his performance was enough to hold his head up high despite the disappointing result.
His character also adds to his importance in the Everton dressing room, and the club must pull out all the stops to tie him to a new long-term contract.
Mykolenko is approaching the final year of his contract with the Toffees, with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2027.
Reports claim Everton are not in the market for a new left-back, which is a strong indication they want to keep Mykolenko, but waiting until the summer gives the player the upper hand.
With just one year left on his contract, this summer is Everton’s final chance to cash in on the Ukrainian defender, although they’ll be silly to cut him loose.