Everton’s decision to not sign a new centre-half could come back to haunt them this weekend.
Mina hobbled off at the end of the Toffees’ win against West Ham last weekend due to a knee problem and was replaced by Mason Holgate. The youngster, who was on loan at West Brom in the second half of last season, is the club’s only alternative to Mina and is a sure starter if the Colombian is ruled out.
Marco Silva’s side had a fairly successful transfer window with the signings of Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin among others but their biggest worry at the start of the season was their lack of centre-back options.
That fear is on the verge of being a reality now for Silva who only just got back to winning ways. Although West Ham failed to create any real chances in the game, Mina was there when Everton wanted him and he will potentially be a massive miss against Brighton.
Holgate was highly regarded as Phil Jagielka’s successor at Goodison Park but the 23-year-old hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations. He was mostly used at right-back at West Brom last term but he played two full cup games for the Toffees this season in his natural centre-back role.
Everton fans will be hoping that Mina’s injury is a minor one and that he will return to action as quickly as possible. Silva’s side are still 15th in the table despite the win on Saturday and a defeat against Brighton will surely push them further down the table.
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