Everton left-back Lucas Digne has successfully undergone ankle surgery, having sustained a heavy injury in training after the recent 3-2 win over Fulham.
The France international had damaged ankle ligaments in a training session at Finch Farm last Thursday ahead of the Toffees’ 1-0 defeat against Leeds United.
The 27-year-old is a cornerstone in manager Carlo Ancelotti’s defensive plans and had missed only five league games for the club prior to his injury for the Toffees since joining from Barcelona in the summer of 2018 in an £18m deal.
Having since undergone surgery, the defender is now expected to be sidelined for ‘two to three months’, according to The Athletic.
Another source in Inside Futbol indicated that the France international ‘is set to work closely with the Merseyside club’s head of medical Danny Donachie’ on his road to recovery.
Read Everton Verdict
Whilst the success of the surgery and greater clarity on the timeframe of a return is hugely encouraging, it is only a pyrrhic victory for Everton. The underlying statistics from the Leeds defeat are indicative of the defensive and offensive qualities cut adrift when the Toffees are without their main left-back.
The Athletic have argued it was the Toffees’ ‘worst defeat in three years’ – or in 101 Premier League games – in terms of the ratio between expected goals scored and conceded. The ‘xGA’ ratio was 3.21 – meaning the quality of Everton’s offensive acumen should have seen a far greater scoring return. Instead, the Toffees were left languishing after an avoidable defeat in which they failed to capitalise upon strong chances.
With Digne scoring five goals and setting up 17 in his 87 appearances for the club, Everton certainly seem to be the missing the threat provided by the Frenchman, who BBC pundit Garth Crooks has proclaimed as having “a taste for goals“.
