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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Connor O'Neill

Four things spotted in Everton training as Vitalii Mykolenko returns but trio absent

Everton have been continuing their preparations for Saturday's game with Southampton with another training session at USM Finch Farm.

The Blues moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Leeds United at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.

The win was Everton’s first in the Premier League since they beat Arsenal 2-1 at Goodison at the start of December.

Everton and Southampton are currently separated by six places and seven points in the table, with the Saints in 10th place after beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 and drawing 1-1 with Manchester United in their last two games.

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And ahead of the match at St Mary’s, the Blues have released their latest set of pictures from Finch Farm - and we've taken a look at four key aspects the images show.

Mykolenko back

Vitalii Mykolenko is back in Everton training after being pictured taking part in Wednesday’s session at USM Finch Farm.

Mykolenko made his Blues debut in the FA Cup win over Hull City before starting his first Premier League game a week later against Norwich City at Carrow Road.

However, the Ukraine international was absent from the Everton squad for the defeat to Aston Villa last month.

The full-back then returned for the FA Cup victory over Brentford, before being unavailable for the defeat to Newcastle United and the win over Leeds.

But having been pictured taking part in today's session, Mykolenko looks set to return for the game against the Saints.

New signing pictured

Everton brought in six players during the January transfer window, with three of them arriving at the club on deadline day.

The Blues signed Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson on permanent deals at the start of the window, before Anwar El Ghazi joined on loan a few weeks later.

Then, following Frank Lampard’s appointment as the club’s new manager, Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli both joined the club, as did goalkeeper Billy Crellin, who joined the Blues from Fleetwood Town in the final hours of the window.

Crellin, a member of England’s Under-17 World Cup-winning squad in 2017, played 13 times for Fleetwood following his debut back in October 2018.

And now the 21-year-old has been pictured working with the rest of Everton’s goalkeepers during Wednesday's session.

Absent faces

While it's promising to see some new faces involved for the Blues, it's also worth pointing out that there are still a number of absences to be aware of.

It wouldn't be Everton's season if there weren't still injuries, of course, and Abdoulaye Doucoure, Demarai Gray and Fabian Delph were not pictured in the latest set of images from Finch Farm.

Frank Lampard confirmed on Friday that Delph was making 'good progress' in his recovery from a hamstring problem and is 'a couple of weeks away' from returning.

Gray was substituted on 25 minutes at St James’ Park, with Lampard describing the winger’s injury as a 'minor knock around his hip', but it remains to be seen if he will return this weekend.

While Doucoure was forced out of Everton's defeat to Aston Villa after 65 minutes with a groin issue, but the hope is that he will return in the coming weeks.

Youngsters take part

It's been good to see Everton's exciting youngsters continuing to be involved in the club's first-team training sessions recently.

In particular, the latest set of images show Lewis Dobbin and Tyler Onyango taking part with the rest of their senior team-mates.

Dobbin, 19, put pen to paper on a new three-and-a-half year deal with the club last month, keeping him at Goodison Park until June 2025.

The youngster has rapidly progressed through the youth sides in recent years and has been a regular feature in Premier League squads throughout the 2021/22 season so far.

While Onyango made his debut for the seniors in last year's FA Cup fourth-round match against Sheffield Wednesday at Goodison.

The midfielder was then handed his Premier League debut in the closing stages of the Blues' 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad back in November.

Both will no doubt be hoping to impress new boss Lampard and secure more first team minutes before the season is done.

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