Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne has spoken of his delight to return to pre-season training and discussed his new teammate Boubacar Kamara.
The 28-year-old is part of the group of Villa players who have been sent out to Australia to prepare for our pre-season tour having been involved in internationals at the end of last season, and thus was given an extended break.
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With the rest of the squad joining them this week, preparation for the new campaign will ramp up as we continue our schedule with some difficult games against tough opposition in Leeds Utd, Brisbane Roar and Man Utd.
Digne is delighted to be back working with his club teammates though and is itching to get back on the pitch as he looks to build and improve on his first few months as a Villa player following his switch from Everton in January.
Digne on Villa pre-season
“It’s nice to get back in an Aston Villa shirt and to see the other players and enjoy it (pre-season) with them,” he told VillaTV. “We are less now, but it’s a good time to be together and enjoy.
“It’s like a big family and you have to have a good relationship with everybody.
“I’m impatient to start the season because, personally, I finished [last season] really well. I want to help the team the best I can and if I have some stats that’s really good but I prefer the team to win the games – that’s the most important thing.”
Digne on Kamara influence at Villa
Meanwhile, Digne also spoke about new teammate and compatriot Kamara, who joined Villa in a free transfer from Marseille earlier this summer.
Steven Gerrard appears to have addressed a key weakness in his side with the addition of Kamara with his side having looked weak in the No.6 role in particular, and Digne is confident that his fellow Frenchman is going to have a positive influence on the side in both phases of the game given his quality.
“He’s a really nice guy and a really good player. He’s just had his first call-up for the national team,” he said. “He showed all his quality in Marseille and he will show his quality in Aston Villa too. He’ll bring us a lot of quality.
“He’s smart tactically and he’s really good with and without the ball. I think he can bring more calm with the ball.”