Yerry Mina will need to bide his time according to an Everton legend, who insists Marco Silva should stick with his current centre-back partnership against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.
Mina is the only summer signing still to make an Everton debut, the Colombian international initially sidelined with injury after joining in the summer from Barcelona.
However, the form of Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma over the last few matches, even in the Blues’ recent 2-1 defeat to Manchester United to end a run of three straight Premier League victories, also looks like keeping Mina in the fringes.
Zouma will not be allowed to be involved later this month as the Blues travel to Stamford Bridge to take on his parent club Chelsea under the terms of his loan agreement.
That has led some to suggest Mina, who would be reasonably expected to step straight into the side in the absence of Zouma, should be handed a start against Brighton this weekend to gain some match-fitness ahead of what will be an important game against Maurizio Sarri’s in-form side.
But legendary Blues defender Kevin Ratcliffe believes Silva should stick with what is currently working best for him - although the former defender admits competition for places right now is great to see.
“It’s a tricky one, you’re risking him playing and maybe picking up an injury,” Ratcliffe told the Liverpool Echo. “It’s a difficult position to be in.
“I don’t think I would actually risk it, I’d stick with what you’re comfortable with at the moment.
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“The competition for places now is a selection problem that every manager wants, what they don’t want is players having off-games.
“Marco Silva now has enough players to put pressure on those in the team. As we’re seeing it slowly knit together, when everyone is fit we are seeing a high competition for places.”
