Lucas Digne must sharpen up his attack to fill shoes of injured Alex Moreno at Aston Villa
Although Lucas Digne has been a bit-part figure at Aston Villa since the signing of Alex Moreno in January, his importance has been magnified by the latter’s recent injury.
Moreno, 29, sustained a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool last month, and he could be set to miss the beginning of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign after undergoing surgery.
Unai Emery revealed that the Spaniard would be out for “two to three months” and likely to return around the beginning of the season. [BBC Sport, 26 May]
However, coming back from an injury of this magnitude often takes time, and as a result, Digne’s importance to Aston Villa has increased tenfold at the start of the next campaign, especially considering the European commitments the club will be undertaking.
Villa currently possess no other options on the left side of defence – barring 19-year-old academy prospect Seb Revan – so Digne is set to play an extremely important role for Emery’s side.
However, if the Frenchman is to fill Moreno’s shoes successfully, he must look to improve his attacking output in the final third.
According to WhoScored, the Steven Gerrard signing has been outperformed in numerous attacking facets, recording just 0.3 shots on goal last year compared to Moreno’s average of 0.7. The latter also amassed an impressive average of 1.2 key passes per outing to Digne’s 0.6.
Since arriving at Villa Park, Emery has often tasked his left-back with venturing into the final third on a regular basis, while his right-back, often Ashley Young, was made to sit back and tuck into a narrow defensive position.
If the Spanish manager wishes to continue this tactic, Digne must look to improve his average of 0.1 dribbles per game, which is far lower than his counterpart’s average of 1.2.
This has already resulted in three assists for the Spaniard since he transferred to the West Midlands club in January, while Digne failed to record a single assist all season long.
The 46-capped French international possesses the defensive attributes to be a success in Emery’s tactical framework, but if he wishes to make the most out of his run in the first team, he must sharpen up his attacking instincts.
In other Aston Villa news, the future of this loanee hangs in the balance as contract talks await.