David Moyes will hopefully not be following suit of Rafa Benitez’s mistake in 2022 which has proven to be a disaster.
Benitez’s stint at Everton wasn’t exactly successful, as a plethora of mistakes were made along the way.
The former Liverpool manager’s appointment wasn’t exactly received well being he had already managed the red side of Merseyside.
But countless errors such as Benitez blocking Everton’s move for Luis Diaz summed up his time at Goodison Park.
It was a strange move from Farhad Moshiri to bring in Benitez, and the former Toffees manager also made a shocking decision that Abdoulaye Doucoure seemingly didn’t like.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Abdoulaye Doucoure says Rafa Benitez got rid of ‘beast’ in Lucas Digne at Everton
It seems like Benitez’s loyalties lie with Liverpool which seemed to never sit well for Evertonians.
But it was transfer errors that cost the Spaniard at the Toffees, as along with Diaz, Benitez refused to sign Tino Livramento for Everton, who has just starred in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Doucoure was someone who saw Benitez’s failures with the club firsthand and has now praised a player who was wrongly dismissed from Everton.
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Speaking to L’Equipe, the Mali international spoke on how he had a brilliant bond with former Everton player Lucas Digne, and heaped praise on the Frenchman who has been on top form for Aston Villa and France.
“For me, he’s in the top three (left-backs in PL), and that’s been the case for several years,” Doucoure said.
“I even knew Lucas when he was younger, in Ligue 1, and he was already a physical beast. He has big thighs, big calves, and has always been quite strong.
“But England has toughened him up even more. He’s very careful with his diet, he’s always in the weight room. He’s a hard worker.”
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Digne didn’t want to leave Everton as Benitez forced him out
Digne certainly was a success at Everton as his £18m move from Barcelona gave him the platform to back up Doucoure’s claim of being a ‘top three’ Premier League left-back, which he has gone on to do after his £25m move to Villa.
It seemed like the 31-year-old enjoyed his time with the club as Digne hoped for Champions League football at Everton.
But unfortunately for the defender, Benitez had other ideas.
Digne’s departure didn’t go down well with Everton fans as it seemed like the Frenchman was a key component of the Toffees squad, which adds to Benitez’s blunders with the club.
The full-back also spoke to L’Equipe in 2022 to discuss how he never actually wanted to leave Everton, and that Benitez was the reason he departed.
“It was a way for him (Benitez) to protect himself. I never asked for that. People who know me at the club know that everything was going very well,” Digne said.
Digne revealed that they disagreed about Everton’s ‘style of play’ which lead to the fallout happening.
“I thought we had a team that could have a lot more possession, which we had the quality for. He asked me the question, I gave him my answer.
“I know my place. I felt legitimate to give him my feelings and those of the other players in the locker room. The group was unanimous. The final outcome proved me right, since he was fired because of the poor results.”
It’s clear both manager and player didn’t get on at Everton, and Doucoure’s comments prove how Benitez has had a howler.
With Digne now at the top of his game, Moyes will hope he doesn’t end up having any disputes like this with the current squad.