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30th Oct 2017

Nikola Vlasic’s sister doesn’t sound too happy with David Unsworth

"Let's put this dilemma to rest."

Darragh Murphy

Blanka Vlasic has high standards.

The high-jumper is the Croatian record holder in the event and has two Olympic medals to show for her excellence.

She also comes from an incredible sporting family. Her father is the famed decathlete Josko Vlasic and her younger brother is Nikola Vlasic, the midfielder who moved to Everton on deadline day for a fee of £10 million.

Nikola Vlasic had clearly won over Ronald Koeman, having played eight games for the Toffees before the Dutchman was sacked last week.

But the 20-year-old was left out of the matchday squad by Everton’s caretaker manager David Unsworth on Sunday at the King Power Stadium, where Everton fell to a 2-0 defeat to Leicester.

Most fans had assumed that Vlasic must have been injured after missing out on the squad but the Croatian international’s sister wasted no time in rubbishing those suggestions.

In a lengthy exchange with Toffees fans on Twitter, Blanka Vlasic revealed that her brother had recovered from a knock and was, in fact, available for selection.

Prior to Sunday’s game, Everton’s Vlasic had expressed a desire to nail down a regular starting place under Unsworth but, for whatever reason, he doesn’t seem to be in the caretaker boss’ immediate plans.

“When I signed for the club, I did not expect to get my chance immediately – I thought it would take one or two months or maybe even longer,” he wrote in his Sport360 column.

“Now I am in the team, I want to stay there. I have big expectations for myself and I hope I will go on to fulfil them.

“But, ultimately, football is not about personal achievements, it’s about the team, and we need to show our fans what we can do.”