Aston Villa: £38m duo could now be left in 'unhappy' situation at Villa Park | OneFootball

Aston Villa duo Alex Moreno and Lucas Digne are involved in an 'ongoing' battle for the left-back berth which will leave one of them 'unhappy' at Villa Park, journalist Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.

Having been appointed as the Villans' head coach last October, Unai Emery bolstered his squad during the January transfer window.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

According to MailOnline, Villa lured Moreno away from La Liga side Real Betis as a £13million deal was struck last month.

The report suggests the Spaniard, who became the first signing of the Emery era, had been identified as a priority target and his arrival raised questions over Digne's future.

Moreno's move to Villa Park came just 12 months after Digne joined in a £25million switch from Premier League rivals Everton.

The 29-year-old is currently the Midlands outfit's top earner, thanks to boasting a contract which sees him pocketing £163,462-per-week, and it emerged that his current employers were willing to listen to offers last month.

Transfer insider Jones recently told GiveMeSport that Villa would have been seeking at least £20million for Digne before the deadline.

What has Dean Jones said about Moreno and Digne?

Jones believes Emery signed Moreno because he was keen to provide Digne with stiff competition for the left-back slot.

The journalist feels it will take time to discover who is the first-choice option in the position, but whoever fails to come out on top will be aggrieved.

Jones told GiveMeSport: "I think it's a competition for places situation. Digne has been at the club longer and Moreno probably needs to work himself in there.

"But it's going to be an ongoing situation where one of them is, ultimately, going to be unhappy most of the time."

Who should be Villa's first-choice left-back?

According to FBref, Moreno has averaged more tackles and blocks per 90 minutes than Digne so far this season.

That would suggest the 29-year-old, who penned a £35,000-per-week contract upon his arrival, could give Villa's backline more stability.

However, deploying Digne at left-back could make Emery's side more effective in the final third of the pitch as he has scored two goals in 18 outings this term.

The Frenchman also boasts vast amounts of Premier League experience, having made 144 appearances in the competition.

Sofascore statistics show Digne has averaged 1.9 clearances, 1.5 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per domestic outing since the campaign got underway, so he may be the better option while Moreno continues to adjust to the rigours of the English top flight.