Yerry Mina was substituted before half-time in Everton's 3-1 defeat by Newcastle on Tuesday; Everton boss Frank Lampard: "It's disappointing for us all. In the week I've been here I've realised he's a big leader in the group and a top player obviously for us, so a big miss"
Friday 11 February 2022 15:05, UK
Yerry Mina has been ruled out until April with a quad injury, Everton manager Frank Lampard has confirmed.
The defender was substituted before half-time in Tuesday's game at Newcastle as Lampard's first Premier League match in charge of Everton ended in a 3-1 defeat.
After that game, Lampard revealed there was some initial concern over the Colombia international's situation and confirmed the extent of the problem on Friday.
"Yerry Mina has an unfortunate injury which will be probably between eight to 10 weeks," he told reporters ahead of his side's home Premier League game against Leeds on Saturday.
"It's a strong injury around his quad. It's disappointing for us all. In the week I've been here I've realised he's a big leader in the group and a top player obviously for us, so a big miss."
Mina has only been able to feature in 10 Premier League games this season due to injury problems, and his latest setback is a huge blow for Lampard with Everton just two points above the relegation zone.
"I was aware on the night that our medical team, who in the short term here have been great and really on point, were wary of the type of injury straight away just from Yerry's description of what he felt, so we were aware straight away and obviously our worst fears were confirmed a day or so later in terms of being out for a while," Lampard added.
"Yerry's a big personality. I've seen him a few times since. He's a positive lad, man, who we'll miss, but at the same time we have to be positive around him and move on in the short term until he comes back."
Lampard also confirmed Demarai Gray, who was forced off with a hip problem against Newcastle, would also miss Saturday's match against Leeds. Abdoulaye Doucoure, Fabian Delph, Tom Davies, and Ben Godfrey are also out.
Lampard is hoping to get more from Dele Alli but is not expecting an immediate impact from the midfielder considering he has started just eight Premier League games this season.
Following his £40m Deadline Day move from Tottenham, Alli came off the bench after just 25 minutes to make his Everton debut against Newcastle but struggled to make a difference.
"We need to work and it's for me to find the right time to bring him in, to give him minutes, to work him hard, because we shouldn't expect an instant reaction from a player who's not been playing that much," Lampard said.
"I thought he did okay when he came on, to be fair, and he will do better, and that's just the work in progress.
"He's signed for us, he wants to be a big player for us going forward so in the short term we just have to manage that situation with him personally."
Sky Sports' Ben Grounds:
It was the age-old debate that followed Frank Lampard around as a player. Could England's golden generation cater for both him and Steven Gerrard in the same team?
Both with an eye for goal, both could spot a pass. Sven-Goran Eriksson was faced with such a dilemma during his time as England boss, before you mention the brilliance of Paul Scholes.
Eriksson decided on playing the trio with David Beckham across the middle - describing them as the "four best midfielders" in the country during an interview with Sky Sports in March 2020.
The fact that nothing was won during this period was a major disappointment, and Lampard is now faced with a similar selection headache as he familiarises himself with his new squad at Everton.
Alli's move came just hours after Everton had confirmed former Chelsea boss Lampard as Rafael Benitez's successor. Lampard also secured the services of Donny van de Beek on Deadline Day, the Netherlands midfielder joining on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the season.
Sky Sports takes a look at how Lampard can fit both into his starting XI...
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