Everton £17m transfer decision is starting to pay off for Frank Lampard

Let's not beat around the bush, this will surely still be a difficult time for Vitalii Mykolenko. The defender will no doubt have his mind rather consistently back on his home country, as numerous reports continue to surface around Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He is continuing to receive all the support he might need from Everton. Frank Lampard has often made the point over recent weeks that he would be in discussions with the left-back as to how he was feeling, but reiterated that he was continuing to train admirably.

But, as you would expect, it's taken a little bit of time for the 22-year-old to fit into his new surroundings. Even without the situation in Ukraine, it was always going to be this way.

He's still young, he's moving to a new league in a new country. Settling in to the Premier League especially is said to be one of the hardest steps in European football thanks to the unique speed and physicality of the game on these shores.

And so, Evertonians have had to bide their time to see their £17m January signing edging closer towards the peak of his powers. On Saturday afternoon, they were treated to exactly why the club made their move in the winter.

It's been a steady start for Mykolenko since his move to the club. A few mistakes were in his game at the beginning, with his appearances in the side only being sporadic as he continued to adapt to the club.

But patience is paying off. Glimpses of his ability were on show against Burnley as he attempted to support the attack alongside Richarlison as much as possible, with that of course having the most effect as he won Everton's second penalty of the match after being tripped by Aaron Lennon.

However, the overall result on that night overshadowed what was an