Lucas Digne hasn’t enjoyed a good start at Paris Saint-Germain since joining them from Aston Villa in the summer window.

The left-back joined Aston Villa from Everton in January 2022 and was first choice for Unai Emery. He played 182 matches for the Premier League side, managing four goals and 24 assists.

Last season, the France international played 2,771 minutes from 44 matches for Aston Villa. His last match was the Europa League final win over SC Freiburg in May.

His performances for the English club helped him represent Les Bleus at the World Cup, where he made six appearances. In August, the 33-year-old left Aston Villa permanently for PSG.

Struggling since leaving Aston Villa

Lucas Digne was at the Ligue 1 side between 2013 and 2016 and left them for Barcelona. Luis Enrique was then the manager at the Camp Nou, and the fullback played 26 matches under his orders.

The Spaniard is now at Parc des Princes plus Lucas Digne is familiar with PSG. These two factors should have made it easier for him in Paris, but the reality has been different.

PSG’s plan was to sign a young left-back, and L’Equipe explains why they changed their stance. The Frenchman became available and his experience plus the €8m price made him a good option in the summer.

Enrique and the club’s advisor, Luis Campos, felt the former Everton man was a market opportunity.

Concern for former Aston Villa man 

Lucas Digne has played 271 minutes from five matches for the French champions, who won three of them.

Last month, the fullback said he’s not panicking yet despite the rocky start to his second spell with the French champions.

PSG’s Nuno Mendes has been out of action since the last international break. This saw Digne make two appearances before returning to the bench. Enrique started midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery ahead of Digne as a left-back in their Monday win over Lyon.

L’Equipe warn the experienced defender of a ‘risk of decline’ in Paris. Lucas Hernández started against Barcelona and they say this shows the manager’s ‘limited confidence in him’.

Digne is facing a risk of a relegation to the bench as he hasn’t lived up to the expectations so far.

The newspaper states: ‘Well integrated into the PSG dressing room, where he already had strong connections (Dembélé, Hernandez), the full-back has enough experience not to panic. He’s working to play more (physical preparation work during the last international break), but he knows he’s now starting from a slightly different position.’

This shows it’s going to be a challenging task for the defender, as his decision to leave the Villans hasn’t gone well so far.

With Enrique utilising Mendes, Hernández and even Zaïre-Emery this season, Digne’s case can soon turn ugly if his situation doesn’t improve in the coming weeks.