Former England international centre back Danny Mills has had kind words for Everton and one of their standout performers this season, Lucas Digne. The Toffees are back in contention the qualify for Europe after having made a turgid start the campaign which led to manager Marco Silva being sacked with the club in the relegation zone.
However, since appointing Carlo Ancelotti in December only rivals Liverpool have accumulated more points than Everton’s 22. The sharp upturn has seen them shoot up the Premier League table to ninth, within three points of automatic Europa League qualification.
What did he say?
Speaking to Football Insider on the possibility of Digne departing Goodison Park, Mills said: “Lucas Digne will have huge respect for Carlo Ancelotti.”
“He is a fabulous player with great ability. Is he happy at Everton? It looks like he is. Everton have money and they are a very good club, being run very well.
“Is he going to want to go to Manchester City if they are not going to be in the Champions League?” Added the former Citizens player.
Rivals must pay over the odds for Toffees’ crucial creative asset
Digne, valued at £31.5m (Transfermarkt), has been exemplary since arriving at Goodison Park from Barcelona in 2018, with the deal proving to be a particularly shrewd signing. As per WhoScored, the left back has already eclipsed the four assists he recorded last season, having provided five this term, though he did find the back of the net four times last term and is yet to open his account in 2019/20. No Everton player has provided more goals for teammates this term, and he is arguably Ancelotti’s most significant creative threat.
The French international signed a five-year contract when he joined in 2018. With three years remaining on his existing deal Everton will likely not be tempted to sell unless they receive an offer that vastly eclipses the £18m they paid the Spanish champions, having impressed in the Premier League. As Mills points out, due to their impending two-year ban, it currently appears Everton are more likely to feature in the competition next season than Manchester City, which may mean Digne is better off staying put.
