'Regretting the move?' - Lucas Digne's Paris Saint-Germain return plunges into crisis after Luis Enrique drops defender for 'sporting reasons'

Digne's return to the Parc des Princes has hit an immediate roadblock after manager Luis Enrique opted to leave the 33-year-old out of the squad for Friday's clash against Monaco. Despite signing a contract that runs until 2029 following his summer arrival from Aston Villa, the full-back's early performance levels have evidently failed to satisfy the Spanish head coach during the opening weeks of the campaign.

According to reports from L'Equipe, the decision to drop the former Aston Villa man is based entirely on 'sporting reasons' following a lacklustre start to his second spell in Paris.

The Frenchman's hopes of securing regular first-team football were dealt an immediate blow when he was left as an unused substitute during PSG's Ligue 1 season opener against Rennes. While he did eventually see some competitive action the following week against Lille, his 71st-minute introduction with the side trailing 2-0 was not the impact he or the club's supporters had envisioned when the deal was struck.

PSG managed to rally late in that fixture, scoring in the first and fifth minutes of stoppage time to rescue a dramatic point, but Digne's individual contribution was clearly deemed insufficient. The coaching staff's assessment of his performance in those limited minutes appears to have been the catalyst for his complete exclusion from the squad this week, suggesting a deepening rift regarding his role in the team.

What makes Digne's omission even more alarming is the current availability crisis at left-back for the reigning French champions. Nuno Mendes, the undisputed first-choice in that position, is currently serving a domestic suspension. The Portugal international received a straight red card against Lens in the Trophee des Champions prior to the season's commencement, ruling him out for the first three league matches.

With Mendes unavailable, the door seemed wide open for Digne to reclaim his spot in the starting XI and prove his worth to the fans. Instead, Enrique has preferred to use versatile centre-backs Lucas Beraldo and Lucas Hernandez on the left side of the back four.

While Digne navigates his personal crisis in France, his former employers at Aston Villa are enduring their own nightmare start to the new season. Unai Emery's side was thumped 4-0 by Brighton in their Premier League opener and followed that up with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.