Lucas Digne's Struggles at PSG After Return

Lucas Digne’s second life at the Parc des Princes has stalled almost before it began.

Barely weeks after his return to Paris and fresh from signing a contract running until 2029 following his move from Aston Villa, the 33-year-old has been dropped from the squad for Friday night’s clash with Monaco. Luis Enrique has made his call early – and it is a brutal one.

French outlet L'Equipe report that the decision is rooted purely in “sporting reasons”. No disciplinary issues, no off-field drama. Just a manager unconvinced by what he has seen in the opening stretch of the season.

The warning signs were already there. Digne did not play a single minute in PSG’s Ligue 1 opener against Rennes, left to watch the entire game from the bench. For a player returning to Paris in search of regular football and redemption, it was a jarring start.

He finally stepped onto the pitch the following week against Lille, introduced in the 71st minute with PSG 2-0 down and chasing a lost cause. It was supposed to be his moment to grab the game, to remind the Parc what he could offer. Instead, the late drama belonged to others.

PSG clawed their way back with goals in the first and fifth minutes of stoppage time to salvage a point, but Digne’s cameo did not move the needle for the coaching staff. Those brief minutes, judged harshly or not, appear to have shaped Enrique’s view. The outcome is stark: complete exclusion from the squad for Monaco.

The timing makes the decision even more striking.

PSG are short at left-back. Nuno Mendes, the clear first-choice, is suspended domestically after his straight red card against Lens in the Trophee des Champions, ruling him out of the opening three league fixtures. On paper, that suspension opened a clear pathway for Digne to walk straight into the starting XI, reclaim a familiar flank and rebuild his standing with the supporters.

Instead, the door has been slammed shut.

Enrique has turned to versatility rather than experience, preferring to shift centre-backs Lucas Beraldo and Lucas Hernandez across to the left side of the defence rather than trust a specialist whose form he clearly doubts.

For Digne, a long contract offers security on paper. On the pitch, though, his second spell in Paris already feels like a battle just to matter.