Everton left-back Lucas Digne has vowed to keep up his high goal threat following his return from injury after bagging yet another assist in a 2-1 victory over Wolves.
The French international returned to action in the FA Cup against Rotherham last weekend after undergoing ankle ligament surgery. He sustained the injury after Everton’s 3-2 win over Fulham in a training session at the Toffees’ Finch Farm training facility in November, keeping him out over recent weeks.
Digne was deployed in an unfamiliar wide midfield role against Wolves which saw him pushed far higher up the pitch than usual. However, that didn’t stop him from bagging his fifth assist in just nine Premier League outings for Carlo Ancelotti’s side this season.
Cutting inside, Digne’s drifting run resulted in a well-timed cross which was stuck home by Alex Iwobi on the half-volley to open the scoring for the Blues in the early exchanges at Molineux.
As noted by the Liverpool Echo, Digne’s feat means that he now has more assists than any top-flight defender and is only bettered by the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes and Jack Grealish.
Speaking to evertontv, Digne reflected positively on his creative record this season, saying:
I’m very happy with the statistics. It’s not bad for a defender!
To play the cross with your first touch is sometimes the best solution. You can have more space to make the pass and you give time to the striker to shoot. It’s what happened [against Wolves] with Alex and it was perfect.
It is part of my job to give assists and I’m very happy when I can help the team to win.
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Digne’s presence has been missed by Everton in recent weeks. His creativity, unusually high for a defender, adds a clear edge to Evertonian attacks which resultingly impact goal output.
Digne’s assist was vital for Iwobi’s goal and may be a taste of what’s to come if the Frenchman is to potentially retain his more advanced role.
