Digne: Everton captaincy is a special honour

Lucas Digne has said that he sees wearing the captain’s armband at Everton as a “special” honour.

Fresh from helping France qualify for Euro 2020, Digne will be back in action at the weekend for his club side against Norwich on Saturday and is revelling in the additional responsibility that he has been handed this season.

The 26-year-old sees the role as a display of trust and says it is driving his game on to greater heights.

“I must admit that it’s been a great honour for me wearing the captain’s armband for Everton,” he told Goal during the international break. “I’d only been at this club for a season when I was chosen for this, so it's a great sign of confidence.

“Aside from my time with the France youth national team, I had never worn the armband, so it is special. Maybe it also shows that I’m now more mature as a player and a person. It’s a task I treat seriously – that’s for sure.

“We have a list of four club captains, and I was the fourth, so I thought that maybe it wouldn’t happen this season. But I also knew that it could happen, and now I have been lucky enough to get the job as captain for a few games. 

“It makes me feel really proud – it’s a responsibility that I enjoy.”

While Digne has not set any specific targets personally or for the club, he says the aims for the campaign are quite straightforward.

“The goals are simple in the club; we must do better than last season,” he said. “As an individual, it's the same thing for me. I study my statistics, the percentage of duels won, the number of successful crosses, key passes, aerial duels won - and I always want to improve every aspect of my game.”

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He has proven a revelation at Goodison Park, where he has established himself as one of the best attacking full-backs in the league, having been named his club's Player of the Year last term by players and fans alike. During the 2018-19 campaign, he produced more decisive passes than any other defender, while this season only Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold have more anywhere in the league.

Such figures have helped justify the player’s decision to leave Barcelona for Merseyside little over 12 months ago.

“When I chose to leave Barcelona in the summer of 2018, it was a difficult choice for me, but it was really important for me to come to a club where I would be able to develop myself playing every weekend - and I am enjoying that,” he said. 

“In Barcelona, I was probably seen as a defensive alternative to Jordi Alba, but in Everton I am expected to be very offensive. This again involves many duels in defence one against one because the matches are very open with a lot of end-to-end stuff. I enjoy this style of football a lot.

“In my second season with Barca, I did not play enough in my own opinion, and even though it’s not bad playing 46 matches over two seasons for what in my opinion is the greatest club in the world, I had to look at myself in the mirror and make this decision to leave Barca in order to move to the next level personally.

“Now every week there is a new and challenging game in the Premier League, and it makes you a better player. The key to handling this is to take care of yourself, to focus on training, when you are at Finch Farm, and on recovery, when you are home. Modern football in England is a 24/7 lifestyle, not a 9-to-5 job, and it involves every moment and aspect of your life, like food, sleep and generally good, healthy habits.”

Further credence to Digne’s surge at Everton has been given by a recall to the national team, and he paid tribute to the club for making this possible.

“I believe that the stability of playing every week for Everton in the Premier League has helped me to perform well for France,” he said before discussing his pride at winning his 30th cap in the 2-0 victory over Albania last week.

“I am happy to play for my country and I feel proud that I have done so many times. 

“To qualify for the Euros is a step on the way. We have a great group of players, and our ambitions with Les Bleus - a bit funny that both my teams are in blue - are obviously very big. 

“When we enter a tournament, we want to win every game. But we know that the competition is great and other countries go into the Euros to win it. So it really is one step at a time.”