It has been some journey for Lucas Digne at Aston Villa.
The 31-year-old was signed during the January transfer window of 2022 when Steven Gerrard was in the dugout.
To be honest, Digne‘s early spell at Villa was fairly quiet, he didn’t do much wrong, but he wasn’t exactly setting the world alight and then Gerrard got sacked.
When Unai Emery was appointed Aston Villa boss, in his first transfer window, he brought in a left-back of his own and signed Alex Moreno.
Moreno proceeded to knock Digne out of Villa’s XI and help the team return to Europe, with the Frenchman’s position looking unsteady.
But sometimes, you need doors to open for you and that’s what happened at the start of last season because Digne was the only available left-back because Moreno was injured.
The former Everton man took his chance, cemented his place in the side, produced consistent performances and helped Villa reach the Champions League.
Not forgetting that Digne recently returned to France’s national squad, so he is getting rewarded for his performances.
Emmanuel Petit delivered his verdict on Digne and how he is perhaps underappreciated in some of the work he does at left-back.
The legendary midfielder explained why he is ‘the perfect example of most’ in regards to how he constructs his game, as he told talkSPORT (01/10/24 at 5:45 pm).
Lucas Digne receives glowing verdict
“I really like (him),” said Petit about France international Digne.
“We are talking about set pieces and crosses. He is the perfect example of most, a lot of players should have a look at how he works, how he touches the ball, how the balance of the body, how he takes the ball every time, because he is one of the best, for me, crossing, you know, in the Premier League.”
Lucas Digne keeping out Ian Maatsen
There was a lot of hype and excitement when Villa signed Ian Maatsen from Chelsea, especially given that he had helped Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League final the season before.
But he has only started one game – League Cup – with Digne keeping him out of the XI.
Digne hasn’t done anything wrong to be dropped, and in truth, he isn’t the problem at the back amid Emery’s concerns about Villa’s defending.
But when you want to be a Champions League club, then you need that depth in quality and Villa certainly have it at left-back.
