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Everton’s Yerry Mina and Gomes out for three more weeks, says Marco Silva

Yerry Mina, here in the World Cup with Colombia, has not made his Everton debut yet.

Everton’s deadline-day signings Yerry Mina and André Gomes will not be fit to make their debuts for at least three weeks, Marco Silva has confirmed.

Gomes was not expected to feature in the opening weeks because of a hamstring injury sustained on Barcelona’s pre‑season tour of the US. Mina, though, is taking longer than anticipated to recover from a foot problem that will keep him out for a minimum of five weeks.

Silva had hoped for a positive update on the £28m signing from Barcelona before Saturday’s visit to Bournemouth but the Colombia defender is now scheduled to resume training during next month’s international break.

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The earliest Mina and Gomes could feature for Everton would be the home game against West Ham United on 16 September. “It looks maybe after the international break they can start working with us,” said the Everton manager, who is in need of the pair with Phil Jagielka suspended and Morgan Schneiderlin injured.

Of Mina, Silva said: “He is recovering from an old injury. It is not something that happened here and not something special. The report I had from our medical staff is it is not serious but you have to take more days to put him in at that level. It is an injury he arrived here with.”

Everton trimmed their squad further on Thursday when Mohamed Besic rejoined Middlesbrough on loan for the season. Yannick Bolasie is close to moving to Aston Villa on the same basis but Silva has reiterated his determination to keep Ademola Lookman despite RB Leipzig’s pursuit of the England Under-21 player and his desire to leave.

Leipzig are willing to pay £22m plus add-ons and the Everton manager said: “The business [side] is not my role.” But Silva insisted the winger remains in his plans and that any attempt to force a move would not be tolerated. “One hundred per cent I don’t give them a chance to disturb something,” he said. “They know since they come through the gate what they have to do and what their obligation is at Finch Farm. He knows my way.

“All of them know what is my way. When the market is open and some clubs are interested these things can happen but it is easy for us to solve these kinds of things. Really, he does not have any other solution. If he stays here he has to be convinced it is the right way. Of course, I am here to convince him, like all the other players, but for meit is not difficult. He is in a big club and he has to understand that.”