Michael Ball slams Rafa Benitez for Lucas Digne treatment at Everton
Michael Ball has destroyed Everton manager Rafa Benitez in his treatment of Lucas Digne in recent months.
The French international has been frozen out at Finch Farm after a suggested falling out with Benitez.
Digne did make a cameo appearance off the bench in the Blues’ defeat against Brighton but his impactful time at Goodison Park seems to have come to an abrupt end.
“He’s putting his own pride above the health of our football club. I think from this moment, the fans have now lost trust in him.” Ball wrote in the Liverpool ECHO.
“We’ve got an international left-back on the bench. We don’t know the full story and it might be Rafa, or the board not wanting to risk Lucas with an offer incoming, but that happens in football and we’re not interested in the politics.
“I don’t care. The fans don’t care. They pay their hard-earned money to watch the best possible team playing for Everton.
“Put out your best available team to try and win a game of football. That’s what we demand. We don’t want stubbornness or politics ruining our game.”
Bizarre
Unless someone from within the camp comes out in the future and divulges what actually happened, the fans will never know the full truth of what happened between Benitez and Digne.
It is an embarrassment for the Toffees that this has been allowed to happen. One of their key players has been forced out of the club for no good reason and it’s hard not to blame the boss and his well-known stubborn streak.
Before this saga, Digne was a fan favourite at Goodison. The Frenchman had signed a new long-term contract in February of last year that would have ended in 2025. Instead, he is likely leaving less than a year later.
That clearly shows that Digne was happy at Everton, and things went majorly downhill after the Spaniard arrived.
It is hard not to blame Benitez when you break it all down, but the full picture is very blurred.
In other Everton news, View: One player has been dubbed a ‘breath of fresh air’ who must start for the Toffees