Marco Silva confirms Yerry Mina sidelined by hamstring injury

Everton manager Marco Silva has admitted central defender Yerry Mina will miss much of the rest of the season due to an injury sustained on international duty.

Colombian Mina, 24, was replaced on 42 minutes after suffering a hamstring problem in his country’s friendly with South Korea on Tuesday, and Silva revealed his latest knock will sideline him for several weeks.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Ham United, the Blues boss added he expects Mina to return before the end of the campaign, saying:

“It’s not good news. It’s serious. It’s bad for us as a club, but bad for him also. Of course, it’s a moment now for us to support him and give him everything to put him in a good condition again.

“He’s not out for the rest of the season. It’s not the right moment to say to you how many weeks [Mina will be out for], but we expect to see Mina training again with us and wearing our blue shirt [before the end of the season].”

Since joining Everton from Barcelona for a reported £27 million in August, Mina has made only 14 Blues appearances in a season plagued by injuries.

He arrived on Merseyside with a foot injury which kept him from making his Toffees debut until November, and suffered a similar knock in January’s FA Cup defeat at Millwall, which did not see him play again until March 9.

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And Silva he admitted he warned Colombia manager Carlos Queiroz that it would be a risk for him to play both friendlies against Japan and South Korea, as he did, on the back of playing 90 minutes for Everton in the 2-0 win over Chelsea for the first time in two-and-a-half months. He added:

“It hasn’t been an easy season for him. Since he joined the club he’s had some unlucky moments with some bad injuries. But we knew before he went to the national team that it could be a risk for him to play the two matches. Our communication with the national team was also in this way.

“But, of course, we cannot control their decisions. We tried to advise them and we did that. After he played 90 minutes in the Chelsea match, it was always a risk for him to play two games in a short period. But they decided [to play him], and unfortunately for us and for Mina, he picked up the injury.”

Silva also provided updates on the fitness of defenders Lucas Digne and Phil Jagielka and midfielder André Gomes ahead of Saturday’s visit to the London Stadium.

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Digne withdrew from the French national team earlier this week due a thigh problem, while Jagielka has missed the last two Everton matches with an unspecified knock, and Gomes was left out of the Portugal squad after limping off in the win over Chelsea.

But Silva confirmed that all three have recovered from their respective problems and expects them to be fit for the clash with the Hammers:

“They are all OK.

“During the week, as you know, we had to take care of Lucas, but we have one more session tomorrow and he looks in a condition to play.”