After Lucas Digne posted on social media with links to his departure from the Midlands club, some Aston Villa supporters became quite alarmed. The France international, who had made 73 appearances during that stint at Everton, transferred to Villa Park during the January 2022 transfer window.
Up until Alex Moreno joined the squad a few months after Unai Emery succeeded Steven Gerrard as the team’s manager, the defender had dominated the left-back position. Moreno was handed several opportunities last season due to Digne’s injury problems, which he dutifully took advantage of, accumulating six assists in the second half of the 2022–2023 campaign.
However, injury then struck the 30-year-old with Digne benefitting from his extended absence owing to a hamstring ailment. However, Digne suffered another injury during the 3-2 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford, just as Moreno was making his comeback.
Since then, with Digne recovering from a shoulder injury, Moreno has returned to the starting lineup. Although that absence is just temporary, the former Paris Saint-Germain player could soon make a permanent exit since strong interest in him was expressed in January. L’Equipe reports that Al-Hilal has targeted Digne as a left back to sign during the January transfer window.
Following that, Digne celebrated the two-year anniversary of his transfer to Villa with an Instagram post. He captioned a photo of himself in action, saying, “What a privilege it is to be here for the last 2 years, thank you for all your support, and see you soon.”
Even while it seems like a harmless post honoring his time at the club, some fans seem to have taken the line “what a privilege” rather literally. The comment from @j_Coleman19, which reads, “Would be gutted to see you leave!” has been taken as a potential farewell given the winter exit links.
Added by @ir04.22: “DO NOT YOU DARE LEAVE US. We adore you excessively.” With @CraigMacredie summarizing the opinions of many Villa fans. “Omg I just had a heart stopping moment thinking it was a leaving post,” he replied in response.
Digne’s departure is undoubtedly a possibility in the next windows, but given his strong play without Moreno, Emery will probably want to hold onto him for the time being.
