When angry Everton fans confronted him in the street back earlier this year, Yerry Mina proclaimed: “I will give my life for this club” but while nobody would obviously take him literally in that respect, a parting gift could prove priceless.
Such remarks brought echoes of sentiments offered by Blues legend Dave Hickson who famously declared: “I’d break every bone in my body for any club I play for but I’d die for Everton.” This of course was the same ‘Cannonball Kid’ who came back on to the pitch with stiches in his head and blood gushing from his wound, to nod in the winner in an FA Cup tie against Manchester United at Goodison Park on Valentine’s Day 1953.
Following the 2-1 home defeat to Southampton on January 14 – a game in which the Colombian had been an unused substitute, frustrated supporters became involved in a heated conversation with him outside his car. Following the initial exchange, Mina was told: “Show us a bit of heart then. Be a leader. Speak out. All we want is passion. Show us a bit of passion. Start speaking up lad, show them you’re the man. Be our captain lad, you could be our captain if you speak up. Wear the armband. Speak up.”
READ MORE: Sean Dyche gives strong response to question on Everton investment and potential takeover
He was subsequently restored to the starting line-up for the next game at West Ham United only for manager Frank Lampard to be sacked after the 2-0 defeat. Following Sean Dyche’s appointment, Mina has actually enjoyed the second-longest sequence of consecutive appearances in Everton’s matchday squad during his five years at Goodison Park but the first 14 games were all as an unused substitute.
The player who for so long had found himself unavailable due to a string of injury problems was now fit but not being picked. Until May 8 that is when Mina made a spectacular return in the 5-1 thrashing of Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
Many Evertonians had been concerned that their team could surrender their top flight status for the first time in 72 years without the new manager even calling upon a squad member who is widely-considered to be the best centre-back at the club but Mina’s long-standing fitness issues – and perhaps his soon-to-be expiring contract – had placed doubts in Dyche’s mind on how much he could depend upon him.
Nevertheless, after originally going with James Tarkowski and on-loan Conor Coady at centre-back then pairing Michael Keane with Tarkowski in revising their former Burnley partnership, Dyche has now started Mina alongside Tarkowski for the past two games. If the romp down on the Sussex coast represented a dream return, the 3-0 home defeat to a Manchester City side closing in on retaining their Premier League title saw both the player and his team-mates crashing back down to earth.
If the result wasn’t bad enough, Mina then found himself very publicly chastised by opposition manager Pep Guardiola in his post-match press conference after the Spaniard had personally took him to task out on the Goodison turf after the final whistle. Guardiola said: “It is unnecessary what he does. With everyone, it is unnecessary what he does every single game. I told him so. I said you’re a good enough player to avoid doing these sort of things... He knows what he does, ask him.”
A former centre-back who plied his trade among the rough and tumble of the lower divisions of English football during his own playing days, Dyche played dumb over any antics and quipped: “If he did it all the time he has done well to see them, I haven’t seen him on the pitch for weeks so I don’t know when he was doing it. He must have been watching videos or something. I haven’t seen him in that long so I wouldn’t know where he had seen it from.”
While Guardiola was unwilling to go into specifics over what might have happened, Mina is well-known within the game for his enthusiasm in winding up opponents. His antics prompted a shove from Deniz Undav in the previous game while early on at Goodison, referee Anthony Taylor warned both him and Erling Haaland about their conduct.
Writing in his ECHO column after the game, former Everton defender Michael Ball complained that the Blues are letting opponents off the hook and it’s time they embraced the dark arts but as Guardiola himself acknowledged, Mina is a good player and there are other strings to his bow. Much has been made over the number of Leicester City squad members who are out of contract this summer (Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyuncu, Jonny Evans, Nampalys Mendy, Daniel Amartey and Ryan Bertrand) and whether that has an impact on some of their efforts as they battle against relegation.
Would that play a part in preventing you putting your body on the line in a 50/50 challenge if you knew you had to pass a medical to get a move someone else in a few weeks’ time? Mina insists not but there’s an additional element of his game that remains a potent weapon now he’s playing under Dyche.
A more positive observation from Guardiola about Everton was: “It’s so difficult and every corner and free-kick, they are the best team in the Premier League since Sean Dyche’s appointment. There’s always the chance of a goal and you can suffer, like when Arsenal lost here from one corner.”
Here is an area where Mina can be particularly potent. Immediately before his move to the Blues, he netted three goals – all headers – for Colombia at the 2018 World Cup finals. Despite his lack of appearances for Everton – he’ll be stuck on 99 games in all competitions even if he plays against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth after missing 104 out of 188 Premier League games since he signed for the club – he’s found the net at least once in each of his five seasons.
Mina’s only goal so far this term came in the reverse fixture to Everton’s next game, when he headed them in front against Wolves from Dwight McNeil’s corner kick on Boxing Day before the hosts slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park. Hopefully he can repeat the trick at Molineux only for the Blues this time to cling on for what could be a potentially season-saving three points as for all the frustrations he has brought, that would be some parting gift.
READ NEXT
'I don’t stare at the league' - Sean Dyche explains his view on table and Everton fixture schedule
Who are 777 Partners? USA firm linked with Everton takeover that could happen 'next week'
Dwight McNeil has embraced Sean Dyche's favourite six-word saying in Everton relegation battle
Everton Financial Fair Play charge latest after fast-track verdict claim
