In a recent report, L’Equipe mentioned that Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne is set to be sidelined for a while after picking up an ankle injury recently. It is understood that the French defender is set to be out of action for ‘two to three weeks’.
Digne’s Up And Down Season In English Football So Far
Digne is having a tough season at Villa Park as he has struggled to help the Villans be consistent in terms of securing positive results in the Premier League. The 29-year-old featured in eight matches for the Villans in the previous campaign, netting one goal in the process across all competitions.
The French left-back has been a reliable performer defensively but has struggled to be productive going forward based on his average of 2.3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 2.3 clearances and 0.9 key passes per 90 minutes in Premier League football. He has even been tidy with his ball distribution after making 79.7% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
Despite Digne not performing at his best, he remains an integral member of Steven Gerrard’s first XI. Hence, losing him to an ankle problem for a few weeks will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Villans.
Digne Picks Up An Ankle Injury: Big Blow For Aston Villa?
Digne can get stuck in with a few solid tackles to make life tough for the opposition wide players and usually reads the danger quickly to earn possession back for his side at the back. He doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed and can even engineer some decent openings for his teammates inside the opponent’s penalty area. However, the Frenchman has failed to be decisive with his passing from the left flank which he needs to rectify when he comes back from his injury.
Aston Villa have already lost Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara to serious injuries. Losing Digne as well will no doubt be a huge blow for the Villans this summer. Steven Gerrard will now have no choice but to rely on Ashley Young to fill in as his first-team left-back during the Frenchman’s injury absence.
Still, the West Midlands club would be relieved that Digne’s injury won’t keep him out for the long run. Gerrard would now hope for the talented full-back’s speedy recovery so that he can come back and perform at his best so that he can make France’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will kick off in Qatar later this year.
