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Lucas Digne makes Aston Villa statement v Hibernian as transfer news emerges
Lucas Digne has made a statement to Aston Villa following his excellent performance against Hibernian amid his links to a Villa Park exit.
The 30-year-old has had links to a Saudi switch this summer, but most recently a move back to his native with Nice has looked likely. RMC Sport reported (22 August) that ongoing and optimistic discussions had been held between Villa and Nice for a loan-to-buy deal.
However, following his excellent performance at Easter Park on Wednesday (23 August), the Frenchman has made a true statement of intent and could prove a quality player for Villa in the Europa Conference League.
Villa dismantled the Scottish outfit 5-0 away from home, with forward Ollie Watkins nabbing himself a hatrick while Leon Bailey continued his form following their 4-0 victory over Everton on the weekend.
However, not many expected Digne to be perhaps the standout performer on the day. Other than Watkins, it would be tough to argue any other Villa player did more to achieve the impressive scoreline in Scotland.
Per SofaScore, Digne earned a hattrick of assists and made four key passes while being an influence both defensively and offensively for the Villans. He frequently bombed forward and proved too much for the Hibs defence.
Digne’s place in Villa’s squad has been questioned. He was almost immediately replaced when Unai Emery joined the club and Alex Moreno was brought in to be the starting left-back.
Sevilla left-back Marcos Acuna has also been heavily linked with a switch to Villa Park, with Fabrizio Romano claiming (17 August) that the Argentine had agreed personal terms with the club.
However, following this performance, Emery may have second thoughts about letting the former Paris Saint-Germain man leave Birmingham.
If he does lose his starting space once Acuna and Moreno become available, he could prove an exciting and productive asset on the bench and could go a long way in helping Villa achieve their league and European ambitions.
In other Aston Villa news, Sky Sports journalist Dan Bardell has revealed what Marcos Acuna will give the Villans that they’ve been missing since promotion.