Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard believes Everton’s fans will 'appreciate' Lucas Digne when he returns to Goodison Park - and has warned his side they are set to face a 'cauldron' of noise.
Everton welcome Villa to Goodison Park on Saturday with Duncan Ferguson in caretaker charge of the club following Rafa Benitez’s sacking.
Digne completed his transfer to Villa earlier this month before Benitez was sacked, for a fee that is understood to be £25m, and made his debut for his new club last weekend.
The France international last played for Everton in the 4-1 home defeat to Liverpool on December 1.
He was frozen out after that with Benitez claiming at the start of this month that Digne no longer wanted to play for the club.
But the left-back did have his own say before completing his move to Vila.
“Everything he did was pure quality, he showed the level of player that he is and he’s backed that up in training this week,” Gerrard said on Digne’s performance in the 2-2 home draw with Manchester United last weekend.
“I’m sure the Everton fans will appreciate Lucas, because he gave everything for that club.”
Ferguson was confirmed as the Blues' new boss on a temporary basis on Tuesday evening.
The former Scotland international has previously held the position of interim coach at the club following Marco Silva's dismissal during the 2019/20 season.
And Gerrard believes Villa must prepare for a 'real cauldron of an atmosphere at Goodison' as Everton supporters will be right behind Ferguson and his players.
The ex-Liverpool captain said: “You can quite clearly see, listen to and read the noises that are coming from Everton at the moment, which is the caretaker manager demanding a reaction.
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“I don’t think it’s difficult to predict what’s going to be coming our way. I think you’re going to see a real cauldron of an atmosphere at Goodison, I think they’ll be behind the team.
“The majority of them (the fans) wanted a changed in that position (manager). To have an iconic figure leading the team (Duncan Ferguson), it will be pretty similar to what happened when he took over previously.
“The atmosphere, noise and support behind the team changed and he got a big reaction out of the players. From our point of view, we need to be ready for that, we need to handle that and make sure we’re the best version of ourselves.”
Taking on Manchester United in the FA Cup third round as Villa manager earlier this month, Gerrard was booed by those inside Old Trafford as he made his way out onto the pitch.
Before continuing his approach to the away dugout, the 41-year-old turned to pause and stare at the Stretford End while chewing a piece of gun, which provoked an even stronger reaction from the United crowd.
And the Liverpool great is expecting another 'warm welcome' that includes 'loads of abuse' and 'loads of banter' from Evertonians at Goodison.
“Pretty similar to what I got at Old Trafford, I don’t think it will be much different,” he replied when asked what type of reception he’s expecting.
“Loads of abuse, loads of banter, which is fine. It takes the heat off my players and they can focus on playing.
“My shoulders are broad enough and my skin’s thick enough to accept that warm welcome. I haven’t got a problem with it.”
