“Yerry had an average game, I think he could be more aggressive and do more with the ball," Carlo Ancelotti said following the Everton win over West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park in September.
"The only aspect we have to look at is him being more aggressive when he can press the opening."
It was a blunt verdict, and perhaps a little unexpected considering Everton had strolled to a 5-2 success.
But maybe Ancelotti knew what he was doing all along.
Back then, it felt like a waiting game. Michael Keane was, and has been, excellent since the restart and has made himself undroppable in the back-line. But Mina, at the time, was keeping the other slot warm for the returning Mason Holgate.
Wasn't he? How quickly things can change in football.
Holgate, growing into a leader of the team at 24, has done more than a job for the team at right-back - along with Ben Godfrey on the opposite flank - after an injury crisis struck down both Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne.
But quietly, effectively, Mina has followed the example of Keane and looks increasingly like a £27m defender from Barcelona. Holgate would be forgiven for wondering where he fits right now with his team-mate in this sort of form.
Against Chelsea and Leicester City Mina was magnificent. The goal he scored on Saturday evening - a winner, nonetheless - was the crescendo of a personal victory for him over the doubters. Can he be dropped on current form?
With Coleman returning, Ancelotti will no doubt wrestle with that question heading into the New Year. But for now, Everton can enjoy the embarrassment of riches they have at the back.
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No longer does Mina seem the target, someone with a lapse of concentration in his locker. No, once again, he blocked everything in sight, headed anything within the stratosphere and looked composed and tidy on the ball.
Moreover, the difference in Keane is remarkable. Alongside Mina, he is looking one of the best centre-backs in England without a shadow of a doubt.
This is what the watching Marcel Brands will have expected to receive for his £27m outlay.
His dance moves and affable personality prove Mina a popular personality at Finch Farm but he has worked his way into the good books of Ancelotti too.
No more 'average' assessments and no more questions.
"King Yerald," Everton tweeted after his goal. Mina finally looks set to rule over his own destiny at Goodison Park.
