Everton full-back Lucas Digne has sent a message to Frederic Guilbert after his loan move to Strasbourg. Guilbert completed his return to France on Sunday night, joining the Ligue 1 side from Aston Villa in a deal lasting until the end of the season. Villa boss Dean Smith revealed after Saturday’s win against Southampton that Guilbert would leave the club before the transfer deadline.
Dean Smith said: “We bought Matty Cash in at the start of this season because we felt he was a good value, quality signing from the Championship who’s done ever so well”. We’ve also got Elmo (Elmohamady) here and (Guilbert) probably wasn’t going to get the minutes with us having three right-backs. We want him to go out on loan, get minutes under his belt and come back here in the summer.”
Dean Smith said: “We bought Matty Cash in at the start of this season because we felt he was a good value, quality signing from the Championship who’s done ever so well”. We’ve also got Elmo (Elmohamady) here and (Guilbert) probably wasn’t going to get the minutes with us having three right-backs. We want him to go out on loan, get minutes under his belt and come back here in the summer.”After the move was confirmed, Digne took to social media to wish his fellow countryman well for the remainder of the campaign.
Guilbert played 25 times in the Premier League last term but didn’t appear in the top-flight once this season. His only outings have come in the Carabao Cup, with Cash having made the right-back berth his own since arriving from Nottingham Forest in the summer and Elmohamady providing back-up. He signed for Villa in January 2019 but spent the second half of the campaign back on loan at Ligue 1 side Caen before linking up with Smith’s side later that year. According to reports in France, there is no option to buy included in the loan agreement. Strasbourg sits in 15th place in Ligue 1 with 24 points from 22 matches. The club’s first-choice right-back during the first half of the season, Kenny Lala, joined Greek side Olympiakos on deadline day.
