Deschamps: Digne overlooked because he plays for Everton

France manager Didier Deschamps believes that Lucas Digne is unfairly overlooked because he plays for Everton.

Digne signed for Everton from Barcelona in the summer of 2018 for just £18million [Sky Sports], quickly establishing himself as Leighton Baines’ heir on the left-side of defence.

Since succeeding Baines’ as Everton’s first-choice left-back, Digne has been on the Premier League’s most consistent performing defenders, as well as one of the most lethal full-backs in the division.

Despite this though, Digne’s ability often goes unrecognised, particularly compared with the amount or recognition Liverpool’s Andy Robertson routinely receives from pundits.

Didier Deschamps also believes this to be the case, with TuttoMercatoWeb reporting the France national team manager’s response to questions about overlooking Theo Hernandez at a recent press conference.

Deschamps said: “In that role [left-back] there is a lot of competition, no player will be favoured just for playing for a club with great media attention.

“It would not be fair to penalise Lucas Digne for this reason, who is doing great things with us and with his club.

“Lucas plays for Everton today, so he’s not really in the spotlight and many underestimate him. It’s not fair, and I’m very sorry for that.”

Fair assessment

Deschamps is absolutely bang on, as far as we’re concerned.

Digne frequently never receives the credit he deserves because he plays for a team that is otherwise inconsistent, regardless of his own personal performance levels.

According to stars gathered by WyScout, no left-back in the Premier League has averaged more crosses per 90 minutes than Digne this season, while only Trent Alexander-Arnold is the only defender to top the Frenchman.

WyScout also make Digne the second most lethal defender from set pieces this season, falling behind only West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell.

Both defensively and especially offensively, Digne has proven to be the perfect player to have succeed Baines, and his talents absolutely deserve to be recognised more, even if he plays for a club outside of the top four.

If there is a silver lining to be had from Digne’s situation though it is that Everton may hope to field less offers for him in the coming transfer window. Digne is a vital part of Everton’s plans, and if his lack of recognition leads to less offers to buy him then the Toffees benefit.

In other Everton news, the Toffees would be wise to steer clear of Rennes midfielder Steven Nzonzi this summer.