Lucas Digne was given a huge chance by Didier Deschamps ahead of the World Cup, when he was called up to the France squad to replace Theo Hernandez.
The AC Milan player had withdrawn from the national squad due to injury and for Digne it was an opportunity to impress Deschamps and try and return to the main squad ahead of the tournament in Qatar later this year.
Unfortunately for the Aston Villa defender, he too had to quickly withdraw. Having arrived at France’s Clairfontaine training base, he was quickly forced to leave due to an ankle injury.
L’Equipe report there’s worry over a ‘possible stress fracture’ of the ankle, and further tests will be needed, presumably at Aston Villa, to determine the seriousness of the situation.
As it stands, Digne is expected to be out of action for several weeks, which is a blow to Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard, and also a cause of angst for the player himself.