Kevin Campbell reacts to Lucas Digne injury blow after Everton lose at Wolves
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Kevin Campbell suggests events may have been different against Wolves on Monday night had Lucas Digne lined up at left-back for Everton.
Digne, 28, missed the 2-1 defeat at Molineux with a muscle injury [Patrick Boyland, The Athletic], meaning central defender Ben Godfrey was forced to deputise at full-back.
This proved to be disastrous as it was Godfrey’s loose backpass that gifted Raul Jimenez a one-on-one showdown with Jordan Pickford, and the Mexican striker cooly dispatched his strike to double the home side’s lead after Max Kilman’s opener.
Former Everton centre-forward Campbell has lamented the loss of Digne on Monday.
The Sky Sports pundit told Goodison News: “Of course, you look at it and he’s one of your main players, to lose his balance on the left-hand side of that defence… you could say Digne doesn’t play that pass back to the goalkeeper [like Godfrey], he doesn’t do that.
“At the end of the day, these things happen, Everton had to adjust, and it didn’t work out.”
Paid the price
Everton have no one to blame but themselves after Digne’s injury left Godfrey as the most suitable replacement at left-back.
The England international is no stranger to the position having been deployed there on occasion last season when Digne was absent, with Niels Nkounkou not trusted to fill the void.
It was expected that Nkounkou would be handed more minutes this season, but remarkably, the 21-year-old left-back was sent on loan to Belgian side Standard Liege late in the summer transfer window.
After teenager Thierry Small left for Southampton, the Blues were left well short on options at left-back, unable to bring in a deputy to Digne.
The club are now paying the price as they attempt to put square pegs in round holes.
In other Everton news, the Blues are ready to trigger the multi-million release clause of this African centre-mid who Rafa Benitez loves.
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