On Monday, we covered the news that Lucas Digne’s ankle injury wasn’t as bad as first feared, leading to a boost for Aston Villa.
However, it wasn’t just Steven Gerrard’s side who will have been glad to hear this, as Didier Deschamps now has another option to consider ahead of the World Cup.
Many had expected Digne to be part of the squad if he remained healthy, but the stress fracture discovered in his ankle had made that very difficult, with first reports suggesting a six to seven week convalescence period, leading to players such as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Rayan Aït-Nouri being potentially considered.
L’Equipe on Monday then reported that due to how early it had been found, further exams suggested the Aston Villa would only be away from pitches for two to three weeks instead, with a mid-October return now expected.
The same newspaper on Tuesday now believe Digne will be on the plane to Qatar as a backup to Théo Hernández, and if the Villan ‘is 100%, his selection seems guaranteed’.
As for Aït-Nouri, who doesn’t have a cap to his name for now, the Wolves regular ‘has completely disappeared from the radar’ down France’s end.
He does boast five U21 caps, but the last of those dates back to a U21 Euros qualifier against Slovakia in December 2020, suggesting more work needs to be done if he wants a first-team cap.
What Aït-Nouri has going for him beyond the 2022 World Cup is that Bruno Lage seems to trust him at Wolves, as he has started all but two Premier League games this season, the latest coming in a 3-0 loss to Manchester City.
