Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne could return for their next match despite being forced off after only 13 minutes during their Midlands derby defeat at the weekend, according to injury specialist Ben Dinnery.
January signing Digne has not had the easiest ride at new team Aston Villa since his £27 million transfer from Everton. The French international picked up a hamstring injury during the side’s 2-1 loss to West Ham in early March, which kept him out for a week, and most recently was taken off early during another 2-1 loss, this time at the hands of Wolves.
The left-back got his surprise move to Villa after he seemingly fell out with former Everton boss Rafael Benitez, but has struggled to perform under new boss Steven Gerrard so far. In his nine starts for Villa, he has only managed to assist once (WhoScored), which came against his former side in a 1-0 win.
Despite being forced off in consecutive games, Digne should be available, as Dinnery explained on his YouTube channel. He said: “Lucas Digne – second game in a row that he’s been forced off early doors for Villa. Fortunately, this time it was not injury-related. This was more stomach cramps – that’s why he was forced off after just 13 minutes. So, he should be ok for Tottenham this weekend.”
TIF Thoughts of Digne’s return…
While Digne has struggled to find form in the Midlands, he is a fantastic player and one of the best attacking defenders in the league on his day. During his time at Everton, he racked up an impressive 20 assists across three seasons, making him a shining light in an inconsistent side. (Transfermarkt)
Gerrard’s team have lost their last three games in the Premier League, slipping down to 11th in the table after their initially impressive run under the Liverpool legend. Any hopes of challenging a rejuvenated Spurs side under Antonio Conte will need a player of Digne’s calibre fit and ready to fight.
Digne will need to be equally invested in their attacking and defensive gameplan – something Gerrard has already told the left-back – as Spurs have been inconsistent at times this term, but have the likes Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane who can punish any side.