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‘Incredible rise’… Leon Osman says he’s completely changed his mind about £20m Everton player
Former Everton player Leon Osman has now admitted that he’s completely changed his mind about one defender at the club.
Sean Dyche’s side have enjoyed a ton of improvement this season, and if it weren’t for their point deduction, the side would be flying pretty high.
And as well as their improvement up top this campaign, with Abdoulaye Doucoure now adding a lot of goals, Everton have tightened up at the back.
Jarrad Branthwaite is often the player credited with making the biggest difference for Dyche’s side.
However, it was a different Everton defender who Leon Osman thought made a huge improvement.
Speaking via the , Osman praised Vitaliy Mykolenko shortly before kick off against Aston Villa today.
Osman said he’s been so much better this season, and is now an automatic pick for Dyche.
He said: “It’s been an incredible rise from Vitaliy Mykolenko. When he first joined I wasn’t certain about him.
“He looks stronger this season and is happy to go toe-to-toe with wingers. He’s one of the first men on the team sheet now.”
Leon Osman thinks Everton defender Vitaliy Mykolenko is now crucial
Ukrainian Mykolenko joined the side just over two years ago, signing for at the start of January 2022.
And although it took him some time to adapt to Everton’s style – he’s seen more than one manager, the full back is now playing a big role.
Although there’s still some uncertainty at right-back between Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson, the defence is now very settled.
Dyche can now focus his attention on his offensive combinations, rather than having to reshuffle his back line in front of Jordan Pickford.
Osman is right to praise Mykolenko, the 24-year-old Everton defender who is fulfilling his rich potential.
Stellar left-backs have become a bit of a rarity in the Premier League.
And when you consider all of the improvement Mykolenko has made, he’s certainly not far from the conversation regarding the league’s best on the left.
That being said, it seems increasingly realistic that Mykolenko may lose one of his Everton teammates this month.