'I don't get the big love-in': Brutal call on 6'5 Everton monster

Journalist Paul Brown doesn’t understand ‘the big love-in’ over Everton defender Yerry Mina this season.

The Toffees have a much better record in the Premier League when the 27-year-old has been fit and available to feature either from the off or from the bench, but injury issues have severely restricted his game time.

Everton got off to a good start in the current campaign under former manager Rafa Benitez, and Mina was pivotal to their early success.

The Colombia international played in six of the Goodison Park outfit’s opening seven top-flight fixtures as they lost just once yet was ruled out of action for several weeks with a thigh problem.

Over the next 11 league games, Everton won just once against Arsenal, the only game Mina appeared in, although he had to be substituted just after the half an hour mark.

He couldn’t prevent consecutive defeats at the hands of Norwich City, Aston Villa and Newcastle United, though, before a reoccurrence of the thigh injury consigned the South American to another spell on the sidelines.

However, Everton have still won four, drawn two and lost four of the 10 Premier League games Mina has featured in this season while losing 10 of the 14 he’s played no part in.

Former Everton star Michael Ball waxed lyrical over the 6 foot 5 Mina in his Liverpool Echo column earlier in the campaign, labelling him a ‘monster’ before claiming he is probably the clubs ‘best centre half when he’s on form’.

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Nevertheless,Brown believes he’s ‘massively benefited’ from being unavailable for selection for the majority of the Merseysiders’ defeats.

He told GiveMeSport: “On Yerry Mina, I don’t really get the big love-in this season. I