Sean Dyche has explained Yerry Mina’s recent rare outing for Everton came as a result of wanting to give every player at the club an opportunity.
Michael Keane’s reintroduction into the starting eleven at the start of March took some supporters by surprise, having been frozen out by previous manager Frank Lampard. Keane’s run of ten consecutive starts came to an end during Monday’s 5-1 victory at Brighton, however, as Mina took his place.
This represented only a third Premier League appearance of the season for the Colombian defender, who has been overlooked since Dyche was appointed as manager at the end of January. Explaining his decision to bring the ex-Barcelona star back into the fold earlier this week, the Blues’ boss said: “Yerry was the only player who hadn’t stepped on the pitch for us in real terms. At some point, I’ve got to look at that and go ‘Could he offer us something different’?
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“On the night, the team in front of him performed well. I was a centre-half and it’s always helpful if the group in front of you are performing well. He did fine, especially when he hasn’t played in so long. I was pleased for him and pleased for the team, but it’s not really about each individual at this time - it’s about the group mentality. But it just goes to show he is ready to come in and commit to the cause.
“Yerry has been fit since I’ve been here, he’s just been getting proper fitness. I thought he did well the other night fitness-wise. We’ve managed to get a couple of games in between the time I’ve been here, but not many. He’s done well on that side of things and we’ve given him a bit of downtime to recover.”
Mina has faced his fair share of injury problems during his time at Goodison Park, similarly to Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the opposite end of the pitch. Both players are now fit for selection and could have a major part to play in keeping the team in the division.
Asked if Everton could be about to reap the rewards of showing long-term patience towards the pair, Dyche responded: “Well, we’ll see.
“It’s not patience in the sense we’ve been holding back for the sake of it. It is patience in the sense of the risk and reward scenarios that come in football, and it is difficult sometimes. You are tempted as a manager to push players back in too early. In my experience, it doesn’t very often pay you back.”
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