'If he carries on...' - Insider hints Gerrard could make ruthless AVFC player decision

Journalist Josh Holland has claimed that Steven Gerrard may seek a new Left-back if Lucas Digne’s injury woes continue.

Lucas Digne was brought into Aston Villa in January from Everton for £27 million, but he has missed a period of games in the Premier League due to a hamstring injury and then a slight collarbone injury.

Matt Targett was shipped off on loan to Newcastle United, which allowed Gerrard to bring in Digne, and the Magpies have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer for £17 million if they feel that he is the right man for the job moving forward.

After the several injuries that Digne has suffered in his debut season at Villa Park, Dean Jones claimed to GiveMeSport that Gerrard may look to bring in another left-back in the summer.

“If he carries on with these injury problems, I can see Villa thinking, ‘We’ve got an injury-prone player here. We need to go get another left-back.’ Do they give Matt Targett another go? Do they go elsewhere and bring a new left-back?” Jones said.

TIF Thoughts on Dean Jones’s comments…

Lucas Digne has been average since he arrived at Villa Park in terms of stats, in the Premier League, he has the fifth most amount of accurate passes on average per game (29.3), the third most amount of interceptions on average per game (1.1), and the fifth most amount of clearances on average per game (1.9), as per Sofascore.

The 28-year-old defender has a lot of ability, as he is part of the successful French National team, but he has seen his time at Villa this season disrupted, which may be why his stats aren’t up to his usual standards.

Gerrard brought Digne into Villa Park because he was aware of his capabilities, so he may be keen to get Targett sold on a permanent deal to Newcastle