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In an exclusive interview with The Liverpool Echo, Everton manager Marco Silva has provided an update on Yerry Mina's situation at Goodison Park.

What's the word, then?

Well, the Merseyside outfit signed the Colombia international in a big-money £27.2m deal from Barcelona during the summer transfer window, but it's fair to say his career in the Premier League hasn't got off to the best of starts and in general he has been a disappointing addition to date.

The 24-year-old has had plenty of spells on the sidelines through injury, and according to The Liverpool Echo he is a doubt for the clash against Cardiff City on Tuesday night following his latest issue.

Silva said: "He had some good moments, some good performances also, but afterwards comes a little problem which has stopped him many times.

"It's not easy for him, he's always stopping for many reasons. With his size, he needs to work every day to be in a good physical condition.

"We hope now that he has joined up with the rest of the team, until the end of the season he doesn't stop more and he can go three months to be able to fight to be a starting player."

Can he be a starter when fit?

Even when the South American was available, he sometimes found himself behind Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma in the centre-back pecking order under the Portuguese boss.

When he is ready to return, he needs to prove to his manager that he can be a first-choice option for the Toffees next term, especially with Zouma's future far from certain given he is only on loan from Chelsea.

The 24-year-old needs to rediscover the form he showed for his country at the 2018 World Cup, and that is clearly what Silva wants to see from him from now until the end of the campaign.