Regular Everton starter suffers injury setback and has not travelled for Ireland pre-season camp

Vitalii Mykolenko has not made the initial trip to the Republic of Ireland for Everton's pre-season camp.

The left-back has been left at Finch Farm to continue rehab for an ankle injury - but he could still travel to the Emerald Isle later this week.

Mykolenko suffered ankle ligament damage in Everton's 2-0 Merseyside derby victory over Liverpool towards the end of last season. As a result, he missed the final four games of the Toffees' 2023-24 campaign - having made a total of 34 appearances and scoring twice as Sean Dyche's side comfortably avoided Premier League relegation despite being deducted eight points for profit and sustainability rule breaches.

Mykolenko was included in Ukraine's squad for Euro 2024. However, his ongoing issue limited his game time and only played in Ukraine's final Group E fixture which was a 0-0 draw against Belgium.

The 25-year-old was given time off after Ukraine's elimination. He's now reported back to duty for pre-season training but hit a minor setback, meaning he may not feature in the opening friendly of the summer against Sligo Rovers on Friday (16.00 BST).

Dyche told evertontv: “Myko is still coming back after a minor setback - nothing major. He will join later this week or the beginning of next week.

“A couple of the new signings (Tim Iroegbunam and Iliman Ndiaye) are with us, they'll get a blend of what we do. We still want that feeling of the group, it's important that. We have shown how important it was last year, very important, as it happens. Not just about technical, tactical and physical but what about the mental side and group strength. That was an important factor on show and I think it will be again.”

Jordan Pickford will not be back for several weeks as he has a much-deserved rest having helped England reach the final of Euro 2024.