YERRY LONG WAIT FOR MINA RETURN

EVERTON fans may have to wait up to another month to see their big-money defensive signing Yerry Mina in action.

The centre-half was signed amid much fanfare on deadline day after tense negotiations with Barcelona, as the Blues beat Manchester United to his signature.

But yesterday boss Marco Silva revealed he arrived with an injury – and that will keep him out until after the international break and beyond.

Mina picked up the foot problem, thought to be a metatarsal issue, playing for Colombia against England at the World Cup where he scored a last-gasp equaliser. But he spent most of extra time in the dramatic contest playing on one leg. And it is understood that with the player still unable to resume training with Everton, it could be several weeks before he has regained sufficient match fitness to be seen in the blue shirt of his new club.

Mina was signed in a £28million deal that could rise to make the 23-year-old Everton’s most expensive defender ever, and Silva said: “He is recovering from an old injury, not something that happened here, but not something special.

“The report I had from our medical staff says it is not serious, but you have to take more days to put him at that level to train again.”

Silva denied the player required surgery, but he did admit it would be after the international break before the South American could step up his training to include contact again.

Silva also confirmed that Mo Besic has joined Middlesbrough on a season-long loan.

But a deal to take Yannick Bolasie has been delayed as Aston Villa are unwilling to pay his wages in full, with talks set to continue tomorrow.