Dave Prentice has been speaking on the Royal Blue podcast about the future of Yerry Mina at Everton.
Mina had started in five of the first seven league matches under Rafael Benitez until he sustained a thigh problem which forced him to miss six games in a row, but he did make his return during the match against Arsenal on Monday night, only for the centre-back to be subbed off after 31 minutes due to an injury.
Should Everton sack Benitez?
Yes!
No!
During his time at Goodison Park, Mina has spent 263 days on the sidelines, and having picked up another knock, that number will now only increase, so with his contract set to expire in 2023 and next summer being the last chance to recoup some money, Mina could be counting down the days until his Everton exit.
It is not just a view of potentially some fans and journalists, but Benitez himself even said after the victory over the Gunners that ‘there are some players we know are injury-prone‘, which will not bode well for Mina if he is looking to earn a new contract under the Spaniard.
Prentice has been giving his thoughts on Mina’s latest injury and these comments made by Benitez.
“I thought it was a really, really good performance by [Michael Keane], and it needs to be, because obviously Yerry Mina, you know, half an hour we saw him and as I’ve been saying countless times on this podcast, his fitness is what lets him down, and probably why he won’t get a new deal offered.
“I mean, Rafa’s comments afterwards were quite interesting, weren’t they, about him. He actually said he’s injury-prone, I think that was the phrase he used. So we know he’s not going to be getting a new deal offered, I don’t think. I think we could be seeing him moved on.”
TIF Thoughts on Mina…
The Colombian centre-back has been a regular in most seasons he’s been with Everton, but has never been able to start more than 25 games in a single campaign, and that is not someone Benitez will be able to count on moving forward if he knows that Mina will miss so many games every season.
Everton splashed out £27 million in 2018 for Mina which saw him leave Barcelona, and given how much money has been spent since he moved to the club, the centre-back may have expected to achieve more at Goodison Park than an eighth-place finish, so it may not be just the club’s decision to sell Mina, but the defender himself could look for a new challenge.
In other news: ‘I’m not sure I believe Everton’ – Tim Howard drops damning verdict on ‘broken’ Toffees board