Frank Lampard wants to help Yerry Mina ‘prevent further injuries’ after confirming the star Everton defender now faces a long road back, despite avoiding surgery for his latest issue.
Mina has visited a specialist to assess the severity of a high-grade quadriceps tendon injury sustained at Newcastle United. The 27-year-old developed the problem during the Toffees’ defeat at St James’ Park earlier this month, while making just his 11th outing of the season.
Injuries have plagued the Colombia international’s campaign, much like his Goodison Park career since joining from Barcelona in 2018. The £27m capture missed six Premier League fixtures with a hamstring injury sustained in training before three games with a calf issue.
The Premier League rescheduling Everton’s fixtures with Burnley, Newcastle and Leicester in December and January meant Mina missed fewer matches. But he only featured for 31-minutes between October 2 and January 15, and has started eight of 10 top-flight outings.
Lampard confirms Mina injury status in big Everton blow
Lampard has confirmed Mina has avoided surgery for his latest injury, but the Everton boss faces a long wait for the centre-half’s return. He is also aware of the 38-cap enforcer’s prior record for time spent on the sidelines, and hopes to help the defender avoid future issues.
“Yerry is here, working with our medical team, to try to make some early strides and make sure he recovers. I know he’s had some repetitive kind of injuries – different injuries – but he’s had his issues,” Lampard said. “It’s really important we focus on this one to get it right.
“It won’t be surgery, but it will be a lot of work behind the scenes. Obviously, it’s also quite a long injury, so Yerry will need some time mentally to have a breather, at times. We’ll do our best to make sure he comes back and, hopefully, help to prevent further injuries.”
Mina started Everton’s first two Premier League games after sacking Rafa Benitez against Aston Villa and Newcastle before his injury. The Colombian also captained the Toffees against Steven Gerrard’s Villans with regular skipper Seamus Coleman only on the bench.
Lampard will likely again select Michael Keane and Mason Holgate as his centre-halves at Southampton on Saturday. The pair shut Leeds United out in the Blues’ 3-0 win last week with Mina unavailable, having started beside the former Barcelona man against Newcastle.
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