Everton defender Vitalii Mykolenko has been speaking to the media while on international duty with Ukraine.
When players head off on international duty, we'll often see them speaking to their local media, sometimes feeling a little more off the leash than when with their clubs.
We've seen it multiple times in the past. Romelu Lukaku, Amadou Onana, and Iliman Ndiaye are three that spring to mind, discussing moving to bigger clubs in the future, something they wouldn't mention to the English media.
Everton have a number of players on international duty over the coming weeks, but hopefully we won't hear any of them teasing a possible exit in the future.
One player who has been speaking to the media is Everton defender Vitalii Mykolenko, with a few comments made on his start to the season so far.
Mykolenko doesn't appear to be the type to be speaking to the media about future moves, touching on his time at Everton so far, his form this season, and the transition from Goodison Park to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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Mykolenko on international duty
Speaking to the media while on international duty for Ukraine, Mykolenko has discussed his form at the start of the campaign, suggesting that it was the first pre-season he's started and completed properly, which has been a big positive in terms of his recent performances.
"I won’t give a number out of ten, but this is probably the first pre-season I’ve started and completed properly… So it’s a very good start to the season. In principle I’m satisfied with myself, but I understand I can still play better physically and technically, so I want to keep improving. This is only the start of the season."
The left-back has also discussed the game against Tottenham, as the Ukraine manager focused on this game during a team meeting. Mykolenko recalls how the first 15-20 minutes were one of the hardest of his career, thinking that they would lose 3-0 from then on.
"The head coach actually mentioned that game in a theory session. He was probably watching because I played in it. We played against Roberto De Zerbi. He’s probably a friend of his. I don’t know exactly, but he described what I felt in the first 20 minutes of the match. I thought we were going to lose 3-0 and that would be it. But we know how to suffer, and it turned into a very good game in the end. I was very happy we didn’t concede a single goal in a match like that. But those first 15–20 minutes were probably among the hardest of my career."
It was certainly a difficult start to the game for Mykolenko, with Tottenham winger Savio causing him all sorts of problems. To his credit, Mykolenko turned things around as the game went on, and it was a strong performance from the Ukrainian international.
Mykolenko has now been with Everton for over four years, and he claims that he's grown more confident during that period. This has allowed him to get used to certain opposition players, alongside being 'physically' prepared.
"Probably confidence. You become more confident when you play at the same level for many years. And it’s the highest level. You get used to the players, you understand you can play better with every match, that you can work. So more confidence has appeared. And I’ll say it again: physical preparation is very important for me, because if I’m not physically ready, my head won’t work on the pitch at all. All footballers know that."
Mykolenko has been through a lot during his time at Everton, including the change from Goodison Park to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The 27-year-old admits that he does miss te atmosphere for Goodison Park at times.
"Sometimes I miss the atmosphere at Goodison, but I wouldn’t say I miss our old home that much, because this stadium is newer and more comfortable. In principle, the first season at Hill Dickinson wasn’t the best in terms of results at the stadium, because we didn’t win many matches there. But this season there is hope we’ll have a lot more wins."
It's been a positive start to the season for Mykolenko, and hopefully that continues. Not just because it would be good to see him finally hitting the form many expected when he signed, but also the lack of options means it would be a disaster if he starts to fall off a cliff.
Mykolenko still has his limitations going forward, but with a more attacking right-back on the other side in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, that hasn't looked as much of a concern so far this season.
