Everton left-back Lucas Digne has struggled defensively since he moved to the Premier League from La Liga champions FC Barcelona in the summer.
Everton fans have seen both sides of Lucas Digne since his £18 million arrival from Barcelona.
The France international left-back has certainly impressed going forward, producing a number of pinpoint crosses and setting up Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goal against Huddersfield with a delivery Leighton Baines would be proud of.
At the other end of the pitch, however, it has been a different story. Digne has been criticised by some for his positional sense, particularly after he was arguably at fault for both of Andriy Yarmolenko’s goals in West Ham’s recent 3-1 win at Goodison Park.
And, speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Kevin Ratcliffe has suggested that Baines won’t be on the bench for much longer if Digne does not improve defensively.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see (Baines) return, soon. We haven’t won a league match since he stepped down. And while Lucas Digne has been impressive going forward in the matches he’s played, he has been caught out once or twice defensively,” said Ratcliffe, who played for The Toffees between 1980 and 1992.
“Don’t write Leighton Baines off just yet!”
33-year-old Baines is one of the most creative defenders in Premier League history, assisting 50 goals since the start of the 2009/10 season.
But the former England international is also a fine one-on-one defender – and it remains to be seen whether Digne can provide the same protection at the back.
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