Aston Villa: Ian Maatsen to have cold sweats as Lucas Digne returns from international duty
Aston Villa face a dilemma over selecting Ian Maatsen or Lucas Digne in their starting XI.
The Villans have two left-back options that have plenty of reasons to suggest why they should be the first-choice option in B6.
Neither has truly put a padlock on the full-back role, with Unai Emery constantly chopping and changing between the two this season.
The international break may have given time for that position to be assessed, with the former Everton man departing to link up with France.
Maatsen remained in training with Villa and started in the friendly against Elche, but he certainly won’t be feeling comfortable right now.
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Ian Maatsen struggling for Aston Villa minutes
There have been times this season where it felt as if the Dutchman had finally secured the left-back position and made it his own.
His minutes have picked up in this campaign, but that doesn’t mean he’s been a consistent performer in claret and blue.
| Stat (Premier League 25-26) | Ian Maatsen |
| Matches | 24 |
| Starts | 13 |
| Minutes played | 1258 |
| Goal involvements | 0 |
| Chances created | 20 |
| Duels won | 83 |
That has been summed up by his recent drop to the bench, making just two starts under Emery since the beginning of March.
Digne has come back into the fold and, by comparison, has made three starts for the Villans in that same period.
That certainly doesn’t bode well for Maatsen, especially after his left-back competition jetted off to feature on the international stage.
How did Lucas Digne perform for France?
The 32-year-old may not be a guaranteed starter in B6, but continues to rack up plenty of minutes for the French national team.
He was called up once again for the March break and completed one full 90 minutes against Colombia last Sunday.
In that time, he completed 35 passes with a 76 per cent accuracy and created one chance for his teammates, while he also swung two crosses into the box.
That didn’t take away from things going the other way as he racked up six defensive actions, four recoveries and three duel wins.
Doing that for your nation is positive enough, never mind doing it for one of the best countries on the entire planet.
Maatsen won’t look at that with any sort of hope as Villa prepare to face Bologna in their next outing after the international break.
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