Ian Maatsen given a lesson as Lucas Digne shows Aston Villa teammate how it's done

Ian Maatsen should be watching Lucas Digne closely away from Aston Villa.

The Villans are set to return to Bodymoor Heath for pre-season soon as Unai Emery prepares to get a good look a his squad once again.

He will be without several first-team stars as the World Cup continues to capture the attention.

Villa still have seven players away at the tournament as most have progressed well this summer.

Digne is certainly one of those after booking a semi-final place with France on Thursday.

The 32-year-old started against Morocco in the quarter-final and proved a point to Maatsen back in B6.

Lucas Digne proves a point in France vs Morocco

The Dutchman was signed and was meant to be the next-big thing as a left-back in claret and blue.

Things haven't truly worked out like that and he has often been used as a rotation option.

That was summed up by his absence from the Netherlands World Cup squad, despite Micky van de Ven starting out-of-position as a left-back under Ronald Koeman.

The same can't be said about Digne who has made the position his own after replacing Theo Hernandez during the tournament.

He proved his worth on Thursday against Morocco as he helped his side to a 2-0 win in Boston.

He did so by contributing five defensive actions and two duel wins to keep Brahim Diaz and then Gessime Yassine quiet.

He also looked to make a difference going forward as he maintained a 96 per cent pass accuracy while also swinging in three crosses.

On the world's stage, that it was an excellent performance and it will have sent a message back to Villa Park.

Ian Maatsen should be worried at Aston Villa

Considering Digne is proving himself at the biggest tournament of all, it sparks questions about Maatsen.

The ex-Chelsea man is obviously younger, but that lack of experience has shown in claret and blue.

His last Villa Park start came against Tottenham in May and it's safe to say he was a let down.

The 24-year-old failed to contribute a single tackle or block, while also winning just 10 per cent of his ground duels.

He also failed with each of his four dribble attempts and he was dispossessed twice.

Maatsen also had a zero per cent dribble success rate which summed up his performance.

These types of showing have been regular for the left-back and that is why Emery is reluctant to trust him in the biggest games.

He now needs to look at Digne and his performances with France and take notes of where he can grow to match his qualities.