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Former Colombian international Juan Pablo Angel has described why Yerry Mina is such a popular figure in his home country.

Everton confirmed the signing of the centre-back on deadline day last summer, with the Blues paying big money for a star Barcelona only brought in from Palmeiras a few months earlier.

After an impressive World Cup with Colombia last summer, the 24-year-old enduring a frustrating first season at Goodison Park due to injury.

However, the defender is back in action in the Copa America at the minute and once again is proving to be a popular figure among the Colombia squad.

And Angel believes he knows why Mina connects so easily with the fans.

"His popularity has a lot to do with the success of the national team in the past few years,” he former Aston Villa striker told evertonfc.com .

"A lot of our players have performed very well in different European leagues but it is unusual to have a Colombian centre-back playing in England.

"He was always highly rated and when he emerged was part of a successful team with Santa Fe.

"And he was one of those players who, because of his characteristics, people believed had a very good chance of reaching the national team and having a good career overseas.

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"In particular, it was thought England would suit him more than the other European leagues.

"As a striker, you would not like to get close to him or engage him in a physical battle."

Mina spent a lot of time on the sidelines last term due to injury, while Kurt Zouma and Michael Keane struck up a strong partnership in central defence for Marco Silva's side.

But, with the Frenchman's immediate future still in doubt, there will likely be a lot more opportunities for the Colombia international to impress his boss and his fans over next term.

And Angel believes Mina has found a good fit at Goodison Park - and has explained what his fellow countryman needs to do to improve himself as a player.

Angel added: "The move to Everton, I think, will help him grow as a player and enable him to position himself on a big stage.

"He needs to be playing consistently and he had to think about what was best for him.

"The initial challenge for a foreign player moving to England is to adjust to life in a new country and the different style of football but when I have seen his matches he has looked comfortable.

"He is strong and athletic and capable of handling strikers who have a physical presence, which is important in England.

"It is pretty much up to him how good he becomes. It is down to how much he continues to learn and adjust to the demands of playing in England and whether he makes the most of being in the best league in the world.

"The effort, discipline, work ethic and personal responsibility he invests in his career in the coming years is all down to him.

"He has shown all of those things so far in his career, the attitude and willingness to continue improving his strengths and working on weaknesses – so he has the chance to become a very, very good defender."