Everton have been dealt a further injury setback to one of their players… 

What’s the latest?

According to Paul Joyce, Yerry Mina is set to be out for an extended period after his early withdrawal against Chelsea recently.

Taking to Twitter, The Times journalist wrote: “Yerry Mina out for eight weeks with ankle injury sustained on opening weekend of season, Everton manager Frank Lampard has said."

It had been thought that the Colombian had an issue with his ankle ligaments upon first inspection, but it seems that the issue was much more serious than initially thought. 

Lampard will be gutted

A collective groan rang out over Goodison Park when Mina crumpled to the ground without an opposition player near him. It was a sight with which fans had grown all too familiar, and he was duly substituted.

The frustration over that development was clear in Frank Lampard’s assessment of "When it rains, it pours".

The centre-back has had a torrid time with injuries during his time Merseyside, but when fit, he is regarded as one of the team’s most important players. This is outlined in, how last season, in the 11 league games in which he had played (as of April), the Toffees’ win percentage was up from 19% to 36% (The Athletic).

That Everton are so reliant on a player who featured just 13 times in their relegation-threatened season is indicative of his impact on the team. When he is not there, there appears to be a real vacuum in quality.

His injury record is made all the more infuriating by the fact he is the club’s top-paid player, despite featuring in just 92 games since his move back in 2018.

When he has played, he ranks in the top 12% for blocks and the top 13% for aerials won among centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues, which suggests that he is a fine defender when he's available. The only issue is that he can't seem to get an extended run in the side before fitness issues erupt once again.

The summer additions of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady should go a long way towards replacing his presence and leadership, but it is still a blow to see one of the team's top performers struck down with injury yet again.

Lampard should be gutted to see Mina enduring another lengthy injury layoff, but he would also likely not have been so naïve as to expect anything different from the 6 foot 4 Colombian.