Steven Gerrard gives Lucas Digne update, could be available for Aston Villa v Newcastle
Lucas Digne could return from his ankle injury when Aston Villa face Newcastle later this month after returning to training, according to Steven Gerrard.
The France international suffered a hairline fracture of his ankle on international duty last month, after being called up as a late replacement to the squad.
But the former Everton man is now back on the grass to start training again and Gerrard is hopeful that he could return before the end of the month to bolster the Villans defence as they chase results.
“Lucas could be on the grass today for the first time,” he said, as quoted by Ben Dinnery.
“He’s come out of a boot and done some running on a machine and now the process will be to try and build him up.
“There’s an outside chance that he could be around the Newcastle game.”
Great news
It’s a huge boost to Aston Villa that such a key player is set to return to action in their time of need, with the team desperate for an injection of quality at both ends of the pitch.
Digne’s ability from left-back to get up and down the pitch quickly and regularly is a huge part of the way Gerrard wants to play, and his quality delivery from open play and set pieces has been a big miss too.
However with Digne nearing a return, Gerrard will be hoping he can get a result or two before that game against Newcastle in order to cling on to his job for a little bit longer.
The ex-Liverpool man reportedly has just two games to save his job and poor results against either Fulham or Brentford could see the end of his reign, meaning Digne comes back to a new boss.
He’s been a big miss as a naturally left-footed defender, meaning they’ve lacked some width in their attacking recently. His return will be a major boost and fans will be counting down the days until he is back on the pitch.
In other Aston Villa news, Richard Keys says “it’s over” for Steven Gerrard at Villa Park