Everton have been dealt a major boost to their defensive options as they look to resume winning ways after a key man’s suspension was reduced to just one game.
French international left-back Lucas Digne was sent off for a challenge that caught Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters on the ankle at the weekend’s 2-0 defeat, but his three-game suspension was successfully reduced after an appeal.
Although this still leaves Digne as unavailable for Everton’s clash with Newcastle at the weekend, Digne is now available to face Manchester United on November 7 and Fulham on November 21.
An independent Regulatory Commission accepted a three-match ban for the left-back’s tackle on Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters was “excessive punishment” by the authorities and thus slashed his ban down.
An FA statement regarding the decision read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has upheld a claim of clearly excessive punishment in relation to Everton FC’s Lucas Digne.
“The defender was sent off for serious foul play during a Premier League fixture against Southampton FC on Sunday 25 October 2020 and would have been suspended for three fixtures.
“However, the independent Regulatory Commission has withdrawn his original suspension and applied a one-match suspension instead.”
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Everton are short of natural left-backs, with Fabian Delph and the inexperienced Niels Nkounkou as cover.
As a result, Digne’s return will provide a meaningful boost to defensive support on the left flank – and better-serve the Toffee’s ability to resume their winning ways.
Both Fulham and Manchester United would ordinarily have been better-able to expose Everton’s defence in a similar vein to their weekend defeat, with Danny Ings’ two assists coming largely through an ability to exploit Ben Godfrey on the opposite side.
As a result, Digne’s earlier return will minimise Everton’s losses with the quality of the former Barcelona man re-injected.
