Football journalist Tony Scott has claimed that the form of Lucas Digne for Everton over the past few seasons has become a ‘concern’.
The French full-back scored an own goal in the Toffees’ recent 3-0 away loss to Aston Villa, while he was also caught ‘unalert‘ when Matty Cash scored the opening goal of the game.
It seems as if this disappointing performance may well be representative of Digne’s poor form over recent times. Indeed, while speaking on the All Together Now Everton podcast, Scott claimed that over the past 18 months, the left-back has been a different player.
He explained himself, saying: “One thing that is worrying me, and I was going to mention it in the preview podcast, is Lucas Digne’s form. He has not been at it for 18 months, let’s not gloss over it, let’s not hide away from it.
“This isn’t the same Lucas Digne we’ve seen for the first two years. There’s something not right. Whether he’s carrying lots of knocks, whether he’s playing through the pain barrier, we just don’t know.
“It’s not the same Lucas Digne. We didn’t see any of this last season, and the same this season.
“He’s very easy to beat now. He’s not stopping crosses, he lacks that yards of fitness. I just don’t know what’s up with Lucas Digne at the moment, and it is a concern.”
TIF Thoughts on Lucas Digne and Everton…
The defender arrived from Barcelona in 2018 for a reported fee of £18m. He proved to be a pretty big hit in his first season with the club, scoring and assisting four league goals while making 35 appearances.
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He was a regular last season too, playing 36 times in all competitions, but couldn’t help the team impress, particularly as they drifted to a fairly uninspiring mid-table finish.
The France international played twice for his country at Euro 2020 and perhaps this is why journalists like Scott hold him to such high standards.
Fortunately for Digne, however, the season is still young and he has plenty of time to remind everyone of his quality.