Exclusive: Ex-Everton defender concerned about Yerry Mina’s injury record | OneFootball

One disappointment with Yerry Mina last season was his tendency to pick up small knocks, former Everton defender Michael Ball has told Football FanCast.

The £18m-rated centre-back missed some games in the previous campaign due to injury, a blow given that he was a regular under Carlo Ancelotti when fit.

In the Premier League, he made 23 appearances, posting some decent defensive numbers in the process.

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Averaging 4.5, no Everton player made more clearances per game than Mina (via WhoScored). He also averaged about one block a game, second only to Ben Godfrey, who averaged 1.2.

It means Mina could be one central defender at Goodison Park Rafael Benitez looks to utilise, though Ball has warned the new Everton boss that the Colombia international may not be someone he can rely on every week.

“We want a core, a strong core that’s going to be playing week in, week out,” the ex-Everton full-back said in an exclusive interview with FFC.

“That was the disappointment with Mina. A big guy but he picked up little knocks here and there and came off in crucial games, not with big injuries but just little strains and little knocks, which you don’t really want from your centre-halves.”

Everton had been linked with Ben White, so perhaps centre-back is an area of the pitch that Benitez is also concerned about.