Lucas Digne called up by France after season built around World Cup bid | OneFootball

Lucas Digne has been called up by France for the World Cup in the United States after shaping his season around that goal. According to L'Équipe, the Aston Villa left-back, absent in 2018 and 2022, learned of his inclusion on Thursday.

At home in London with his wife and three children, he watched the eight o'clock news and did not hide his emotion. The 32-year-old is set for a second World Cup, after 2014, with his exact role still to be defined. The 56-cap defender has been consistently selected over the past 18 months.

Last summer he signed a new deal at the Birmingham club to give himself the best chance, and Unai Emery told him he would have to share minutes with Dutchman Ian Maatsen. He resisted a winter move despite reduced time on the pitch, mindful of a €45m signing in his position. He started 12 of the first 13 league games, added extra video work, and his centres have put him in the Premier League’s top 10 defenders for assists, 36 in 253 matches.

Form dipped between December and February and minutes were split, often alternating one game each with Maatsen. Staff around France monitored the situation without alarm. Interest from Premier League and Saudi clubs appeared in January, yet he stayed put, focused on the World Cup, even through four straight benches in February.

The balance shifted in mid-March when he was picked for France’s US tour. Since then he has played regularly, supplying assists against Sunderland and Liverpool, and on Wednesday in Istanbul the left-back, on 43 appearances and 30 starts this season, could claim a first European club trophy. Next come Clairefontaine and friendlies with Ivory Coast on four June and Northern Ireland on eight June, with Didier Deschamps still able to tweak his full-back order as Lucas Digne pushes Theo Hernandez.

Source: L'Équipe