Everton rocked as defender ruled out for the season - club statement

Everton left-back Vitalii Mykolenko has been ruled out for the season.

It has been confirmed the defender will not need surgery but he won’t be available for the remaining Premier League fixtures after suffering ankle ligament damage.

The left-back suffered an ankle injury in the Toffees' 2-0 victory over Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. He landed awkwardly in the first half, with manager Sean Dyche admitting Mykolenko's issue was worse than hoped.

And on Tuesday, a statement from the Toffees said: “Vitalii Mykolenko suffered an ankle ligament injury during the 2-0 Merseyside derby win against Liverpool last Wednesday.

“The Blues left-back, who came off at half-time during the clash at Goodison Park, has been assessed by a specialist, who revealed the Ukraine international will not require surgery.

“However, Mykolenko will not be available for Everton for the remainder of the season.”

This season, Mykolenko had made 34 appearances for the club. The Blues still have fixtures against Luton Town, Sheffield United and Arsenal remaining.