Everton have seen a sharp upturn in form ever since Sean Dyche got his hands on the squad.
A no-nonsense manager, taking over from Frank Lampard’s directionless regime, instantly the former Burnley man instilled a rigid system along with some hefty fitness training to ensure that everyone was up for the challenge that awaited.
Some wilted, and have since left, but those that remain have worked wonders in turning the Toffees from a side lacking passion and energy into a well-oiled machine full of individuals willing to give their all for their teammates.
Dyche deserves all the praise in the world, particularly for how he has taken some players deemed unfit for purpose and transformed their careers.
Few embody this metamorphosis more than Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Wayne Rooney praises Vitaliy Mykolenko
Signed from Dynamo Kyiv during Rafael Benitez’s ill-fated tenure, his acquisition was one of the final decisions made before the Spaniard was sacked and Lampard was brought in.
And, at first, it seemed like a cruel parting gift.
He struggled as a one-v-one defender, often being skipped past by his opposite man, yet lacked any real attacking intelligence or technical quality. Many wondered where the £20m fee had been conjured from.
However, last season we finally saw glimpses of the potential that lay within, which Wayne Rooney would seek to outline whilst speaking last night about the left-back ahead of Ukraine’s crunch European Championships clash with Belgium.
He told the BBC: ‘Yeah I think he’s gradually got better at Everton. At the start of his career at Everton there was a few questions about him but I think over the last two years he’s done really well for Everton.
‘He’s been a mainstay in the team and to keep Zinchenko, I know he’s played midfield for Ukraine but to keep him out the team he’s doing something right. He’s an important player, certainly for Ukraine but for Everton he’s been an important player as well.’
Vitaliy Mykolenko is Everton’s most-improved player
Whilst he was not completely useless during his first six months at Goodison Park, there were clear flaws within his game.
Unable to deliver a cross, just 20% of his efforts found a man, whilst he was only able to manage 1.9 tackles and 2.1 clearances per game.
It also felt like when the ball reached his flank, attacks were blunted due to his inability to run with the ball, completing a miserable 33% of his dribbles.
However, whilst the difference is not completely ground-breaking, the marked improvement during the most recent Premier League campaign is evident.
Now, that crossing accuracy has increased to 23%, and so too has his tackles, now 2.5 per game, and his clearances, 2.9 per game.
But the greatest boost has come to his confidence on the ball, now averaging 62% successful dribbles per game. This all-around improvement explains why, at one point, many claimed that Mykolenko had been Everton’s player of the season.
Should he maintain this trajectory, there is no saying how important the 25-year-old, who also twice last season as well, could go.