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look to resume winning ways after a key man’s suspension was reduced to just one game – though Digne’s red card was not rescinded.
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. This begs the question of who the most likely candidates are to fill in at the weekend.
Everton are short of natural left-backs, with Fabian Delph and the inexperienced Niels Nkounkou as cover. Both options represent different options, with their likelihood to feature assessed:
Fabian Delph
Delph joined from then-champions Manchester City under the reign of Marco Silva, with the England international offering more experience and versatility than Nkounkou.
Delph is adept as a left-back, though he typically plays as a defensively orientated midfielder. He has only made 2 appearances this season, though there is an important twist – he came off the bench to fill in after Digne was sent off against the Saints.
This is indicative of Ancelotti’s preference for Delph to provide cover over other options. His experience may well seem him get the nod against Newcastle.
Niels Nkounkou
Joining over the summer as a hot prospect from French giants Marseille, the young Frenchman could be a wildcard option.
The 19-year-old defender agreed a three-year deal with the Blues after his contract with Marseille expired over the summer, making a Merseyside move to advance his career.
He lacks significant senior experience but is a French U19 youth international who played for Marseille’s B team in 2019/20 having progressed through the club’s youth system.
Despite his untested abilities at a senior level, Marcel Brands believes clearly in his ability. “Niels is a young, talented player with good technical and physical skills,” said Brands. “We have been following him for months.
“Hopefully he can learn a lot from Lucas Digne… as well as Carlo Ancelotti and David Unsworth, and follow the same pathway into the first team the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Mason Holgate have taken in recent years.”
That first team pathway has aligned nicely – there may be no more opportune moment to unleash Nkounkou than the weekend. Whilst less experienced and proven than Delph, there is a chance he could start and stun Newcastle, who may well not anticipate him to be thrown into the deep end of Premier League football so soon.
