Injury analyst Ben Dinnery believes that Lucas Digne could make a return to the squad for Aston Villa tonight in the Premier League.
Digne was brought to Villa Park in January by Steven Gerrard and has featured six times since his £25m switch.
The Frenchman missed the impressive 4-0 victory over Southampton at the weekend but could be named in the squad tonight against Leeds United.
Dinnery has given an update on the Premier FPL Injuries YouTube channel, saying he was “confident” the French full-back won’t start tonight, but could still be involved with Gerrard potentially looking ahead to the weekend’s clash against West Ham United.
He said: “I’m confident he may not start, but whether Steven Gerrard wants to put a few minutes in his legs ahead of that West Ham game remains to be seen.”
TIF Thoughts on Ben Dinnery’s comments…
The victory over Southampton at the weekend could have been seen as a shock, as the Saints were unbeaten in five Premier League games, which included a victory against Tottenham Hotspur and draws against Manchester City and Manchester United.
Ashley Young came in at left-back for Villa on Saturday, helping his side earn an impressive clean sheet against an in-form side, and was awarded a player rating of 7/10 by SofaScore.
Digne has been solid for Villa since his January move, having been awarded player ratings of 7.1 and 7.2 in his last two Premier League fixtures. But after missing out last weekend, he may not be fully fit and Gerrard might not want to risk him.
On top of this, Gerrard has just seen his side win whilst the defence claimed a clean sheet, so the Villa boss may see no need to change the starting XI going into tonight’s fixture, meaning Digne will have to sit on the bench.