Everton have been rocked by Yerry Mina’s injury with Frank Lampard confirming that the Colombian is expected to be sidelined until at least April.
The centre-back hobbled out of Everton’s 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Tuesday and previewing Saturday’s home match with Leeds United, Lampard admitted that the injury was a serious one.
He said: “ Yerry Mina is an unfortunate injury that will be probably between eight-to-10 weeks.
“Unfortunately it’s a strong injury around his quad.
“It’s disappointing for us all. In the week I’ve been here I’ve realised he’s a big leader in the group and a top player obviously for us, so he’s a big miss.”
Mina joins fellow central defender Ben Godfrey – who left Everton’s FA Cup tie against Brentford on crutches with a hamstring injury – on the sidelines and Lampard concedes his choices at the back are getting fewer.
He said: “We’ve got options. They’re two big injuries for us at centre-back.
“I was very excited to work with players like Ben (Godfrey) and Yerry, international players, but we do have options and players there who can step up and have been stepping up to be fair – Michael Keane and Mason Holgate, we’ve got Jarrad Branthwaite.
“So the options are becoming tight and you always want to have a full squad, especially when we’re in the position we’re in so they’re big misses for us, I can’t deny that.
“Maybe we’ll have to adjust around it at different times but I have confidence in the squad anyway and we just have to dig in.
“ Abdoulaye Doucoure is still out and he is, for me, one of the best midfielders in the Premier League of his type with that kind of energy that we’d love to have in there.
“So there are areas in which we have to dig in, short term particularly until we can get some of these players back, but as I say I have belief in the squad and sometimes digging in is the only way, particularly when you’re in our league position so I won’t complain too much it’s just a fact.
“We’re missing big players which will obviously damage any squad.”
The Everton manager issued injury updates on Demarai Gray, who like Mina was forced off at St James’ Park, Dominic Calvert-Lewin who was an unused substitute against the Magpies, and Fabian Delph.
Lampard said: “Demarai Gray won’t be fit for Leeds but hopefully it’s just a minor knock around his hip so hopefully we expect him to be fit for next week with some luck.
“Fabian Delph is not ready yet. Hopefully he’ll be a couple of weeks away, he’s making good progress, I just spoke to him then actually.
“Dominic is in the squad. He was on the bench at Newcastle and he’s in the squad for tomorrow.”
Asked if last season’s 21-goal top scorer was fit to start against Leeds United, Lampard replied: “That’s for us to decide. He’s been working all week with us so we’ll decide tomorrow.”
Lampard also confirmed that Vitalii Mykolenko is not available to face the West Yorkshire side but would will be available for next week.
