Vitaliy Mykolenko takes captain’s armband for Everton’s FA Cup fifth round clash with Boreham Wood

Vitaliy Mykolenko was handed the captain’s armband for Everton in their FA Cup fifth round clash against Boreham Wood on Thursday.

The 22-year-old star was given the honour on his return to the team during an emotional time for the Ukraine international following the invasion of his homeland by Russia.

It was an emotional evening as the players made their way out, with players from both sides emerging with Ukraine flags draped over their shoulders.

Fans warmly applauded the players onto the pitch with sections of fans revealing banners reading ‘we stand with Mykolenko’.

Following the traditional entrance music of Z-Cars, the ground then played popular anti-war song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon.

The players gathered in the centre holding a banner in the colours of the Ukraine flag with the words ‘Imagine all the people sharing all the world’, lyrics from the song performed by the former Beatles star.

He returned to action for the Toffees for the first time following the invasion, having previously been on the bench in the 1-0 defeat by Manchester City at the weekend.

Frank Lampard included Mykolenko as one of six changes for the clash with the non-League outfit at Goodison Park as both teams up eye up a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.

In unity with Mykolenko both teams emerged with Ukraine flags draped over their shoulders

There was warm applause all round Goodison Park for Everton’s FA Cup tie with Boreham Wood

Vitaliy Mykolenko instructs his team-mate during the warm-up wearing a shirt featuring his Ukraine nation’s flag

Mykolenko was a January arrival at Everton from Dynamo Kyiv and has so far made four appearances including on Thursday evening.

The Premier League showed their support for Ukraine at the weekend, with compatriots Mykolenko and Man City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko – who among their team-mates walked out with Ukraine flags draped around them – embraced prior to Saturday’s Premier League match between their respective sides.  

Lampard revealed the 22-year-old left back would start against Boreham Wood in the fifth-round clash on Thursday. 

After naming him captain, the Toffees boss said: ‘For Myko to be captain is a symbol and a statement from ourselves of the unity we have for him… we’ve shown that we’re very unified about the idea of peace and supporting a player that’s ours.’ 

Supporters also backed the Everton full-back following his country’s invasion by Russia

Vitaliy Mykolenko arrives (left) at Goodison Park before skippering Everton in the FA Cup

Everton boss Frank Lampard backed the Ukraine left-back on his return to the side

Mykolenko launched a blistering attack on Tuesday on the Russian national team for their silence since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday in what it called a special operation to demilitarise and ‘denazify’ the country – a justification dismissed by Kyiv and the West as propaganda.

Mykolenko spoke out against his Russian counterparts. In a post on Instagram, the 22-year-old blasted Russia captain Artem Dzyuba and his ‘s***head team-mates’ for not speaking out against Putin’s invasion, claiming they will be ‘locked away in a dungeon for the rest of your life’.

‘Whilst you remain silent b**** along with your s***head football team-mates, peaceful civilians are being killed in Ukraine,’ Mykolenko – who joined Everton in January from Dynamo Kyiv – posted.

Compatriots Mykolenko and Man City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko embraced at the weekend

In a post on Instagram, Mykolenko slammed Russia captain Artem Dzyuba as a ‘silent b****’

‘You will be locked in your dungeon for the rest of your life and most importantly the lives of your kids. And I’m glad.’

It comes after Dzyuba and his men were kicked out of the Qatar World Cup by FIFA, with Poland given a bye to a play-off final against Sweden or Czech Republic later this month.

FIFA had appeared reluctant to expel Russia from the World Cup given president Gianni Infantino’s close links to Putin but on Sunday they made it clear that they would be guided by the IOC — and that the sporting world should be united in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Zinchenko and Mykolenko are among a number of Ukrainian footballers to have united in a passionate video plea to urge fans, players and coaches to ‘stop the destruction and bloodshed’ in their homeland following Russia’s devastating invasion.

The players, also including West Ham forward Andriy Yarmolenko, have filmed themselves speaking into the camera to deliver a message they hope will bring about the end of the war.

Firefighters battle to put out a blaze in Kharkiv as the city came under renewed airstrikes today, with an official saying there is almost no area of the city left that has not been hit

Part of the Karazin National University campus in the city of Kharkiv is destroyed after being struck by a Russian missile which was seemingly intended for a nearby police or interior ministry building