Noel Whelan has been reacting to the injury to Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne, as per Football Insider.
The Lowdown: Digne injured against West Ham
The 28-year-old was forced off after 10 minutes in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday with a hamstring problem and now looks set to join Marvelous Nakamba and Jed Steer on the treatment table.
Calum Chambers and Douglas Luiz also took blows to the face but carried on at the London Stadium as Villa’s run of three straight wins without conceding came to an end.
Steven Gerrard labelled Digne a ‘major doubt’ for the Arsenal game this weekend, with the full-back set to undergo an MRI scan back in the Midlands.
The Latest: Whelan reacts to Digne injury
Whelan, who contributes as a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds and watched Digne in the recent 3-0 win at Elland Road, was asked for his thoughts on the defender’s injury by Football Insider.
He labelled Digne’s absence as a ‘huge blow’ and believes they could have done with the Frenchman being fit up against Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka this weekend, saying:
“When you bring in new players, you want them to be part of the team week-in, week-out.
“There’s no other way to help them find their feet at a new club. They’ve got to get that understanding with the players around them, and you want them to feel a real part of the team.
“He’s not really had the chance to build those types of relationships on the pitch because of the stop-start first couple of months he’s had.
“It’s a huge blow for Aston Villa because he’s a quality player. Set-pieces, experience, talent – they’re going to miss all of that, especially going into a big game against Arsenal.
“They could really do with him fit against someone like Saka – who is in incredible form.”
The Verdict: Fingers crossed
Everyone at Villa will be hoping that Digne’s injury isn’t too serious and that he can make a return prior to the end of the campaign. He has impressed since joining in January, averaging 1.4 key passes per game and drawing more fouls than team-mate Philippe Coutinho. [WhoScored]
You’d expect that Ashley Young will come in and provide cover for the Frenchman this weekend, but hopefully the experienced 36-year-old won’t need to line out at left-back for the remainder of the season due to Digne’s injury.
In other news: ‘Not strong enough’ – Ashley Preece slams Villa man who completed just seven passes against West Ham
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