Lucas Digne was regularly included in France squad for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, but failed to make it to the final 23 for the FIFA tournament in Russia.
One of the reasons why Didier Deschamps excluded the left-back from the national squad was due to his limited playing time at Barcelona, where he started in only eight league games last season.
Lack of minutes at Camp Nou saw the 25-year-old leave the Catalan club and join Everton in the summer, with whom he has appeared regularly this season.
It has clearly helped the fullback as he received a call from the World Cup winning coach for the two international fixtures in October against Iceland and Germany.
L’Equipe interviewed with the defender and asked about his feelings after he was left out of the France squad for the World Cup.
“I was expecting to be in the list. It has been a disappointment. I was unable to understand because I had played the qualification matches and I had been good. It is the choice of the coach and it is necessary to respect them and look forward,” Digne explained.
“What I couldn’t understand was the criteria of game time. When you say that I didn’t have enough, while Benjamin Mendy also did not [have enough minutes with Manchester City]. I did not understand. But as I already said, it is the choice of the coach. I respect them totally.”
He is now playing regular football under Marco Silva and Digne explained as to what he wants to achieve with the Merseyside club this season.
“It’s simple. The idea is to have a very good season. Help my club (Everton) climb as high as possible in the Premier League table,” he said.
