Emi Buendia has told Sky Sports that Lucas Digne should thrive in Steven Gerrard’s system following the defender’s mid-season transfer to Aston Villa from Everton on Thursday.
The Villans struck their second deal of the winter market to hand Gerrard a new star at left-back. The Birmingham natives paid the Toffees’ £25m for Digne to follow Barcelona loanee Philippe Coutinho to Villa Park this month.
Aston Villa and Everton negotiated the Frenchman’s switch for several days after he fell out of favour at Goodison Park. Rafa Benitez had not played Digne since losing the Merseyside derby to his former side Liverpool on December 1.
Benitez had even omitted Digne from four of Everton’s last five matchday squads across all competitions. His only involvement came as an unused substitute in a 3-2 loss to Brighton.
Digne had captained the Blues on four occasions this term following Benitez’s appointment last summer. Yet the pair fell out, with the Toffees boss claiming, via The Guardian, he put personal interests above the club’s.
“They pay you big money to perform,” Benitez said. “You have to perform, you have to be available, you have to put your interests behind the interests of the club. Maybe the stats and priorities have changed and people think themselves ahead of other things.”
Buendia backs Digne to be big hit in Gerrard’s Aston Villa after transfer
Digne had stated earlier in the campaign that Benitez requested he held a more defensive role at Everton than previously. The Frenchman developed a reputation as one of the Premier League’s elite attacking full-backs under Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti.
Silva and Ancelotti’s systems encouraged the 28-year-old to advance, resulting in 18 assists and four goals in the league. Only Luke Shaw (69) and Andrew Robertson (66) also offered more key passes than Digne (39) among all top-flight left-backs last term, per WhoScored.
He also won the Toffees’ Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season in his first year. They paid Barcelona £18m for his arrival in Silva’s first window at the helm in 2018.
Buendia now expects Digne to be a hit for Aston Villa following his January transfer from Everton, as the full-back’s best style is ideal for what Gerrard is attempting to establish.
“Another good signing, another really good player,” Buendia said. “He’s shown his quality at Everton – before that with Barcelona and PSG.
“He can create from the left position and has created many, many chances in the Premier League over the years. For our style, he can create many opportunities for the attackers.”
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