For a player who turned 24 just a few weeks ago, Barcelona left back Lucas Digne is quite well-traveled.
From his beginnings at Lille, he moved to Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG before a loan spell at Roma turned the heads of Barcelona. Last summer, the Frenchman completed his move to Spain to become the understudy to the stellar Jordi Alba. His fee could be up to €20.5 million with incentives.
Alba is turning 29 in March, meaning he should be hitting his peak. Sturdy in defense and great at marauding forward, he’s the ideal left back for Barcelona. However, since joining in 2012, he’s played in just 128 games. The injury woes have hit him often, and that’s where Digne comes in.
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Occasionally thrust into action last season, Digne performed admirably. Perhaps playing a bit reserved, Digne showed some quality crossing ability while ensuring he stayed back on defense. Barcelona were rather shaky at the back in 2016-17, so who can blame him?
As this season nears its beginnings, DIgne’s role has hardly changed. As long as Alba is healthy, he should be first-choice. However, with Barcelona heavily involved in European competition, Digne will see plenty of time at left back.
There is uncertainty of the left-wing position following Neymar’s departure. That means he left backs may be expected to deliver more in attack. While he didn’t show his full arsenal of skills going forward, Digne is more than capable of contributing assists and maybe the odd goal—he scored three in one season for Roma.
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Alba is still the main man, but Digne will get his chances, whether through squad rotation or injury to the Spaniard. Don’t expect the Frenchman to set La Liga ablaze in 2017-18, but he will prove himself to be a serviceable backup and future successor at left back for Barcelona.