Toffees new boy has a dig at Kop

LUCAS DIGNE had a glint in his eye when the subject of his ‘I never walk alone’ tattoo was raised.

He was being unveiled as Everton’s surprise signing of the summer, a player who had made 24 appearances for Barcelona last season and one courted, by his own admission, by several Champions League teams.

He knew his audience and casually, impishly – and it has to be said with a certain style – could not resist reminding us that Liverpool were one of those teams.

“The tattoo has a story and it’s not about football,” he said with a smile.

“When I was three or four I went to my first day at school and my parents gave me a necklace with these words.

“They said to me ‘in your life we are every time here for you’ and gave me this as a reminder. I did the tattoo when I was 18.”

It is poignant but perhaps pointed, too. From there, without prompting, the smile widened. He is a social media pro like most his age and he knows what the Liverpool fans were saying about the tattoo.

He is intelligent and could not resist an understated – but no less brutal – piece of brilliant shade aimed at the club across the road.

“Maybe the Liverpool fans are so angry against me because I said two times no to Liverpool. “The first time I turned down Liverpool to move to Paris Saint-Germain and then the last time to come to Barcelona.” If that was not enough there was an amused pause and one final sentence, with another big smile. “I am Blue...” There will not be a third approach from across Stanley Park.

Digne is unfussed. He knows the Toffees are far from the Champions League but has invested in the project.

He has tried to persuade others to as well, notably Barca team-mate Yerry Mina, above. “I hope to see Yerry here,” he said. ANTHONY Martial has been included in the Manchester United squad for tomorrow’s friendly against Bayern Munich in Germany – and could end up staying at Old Trafford for the season.

United do not want to sell Martial unless they can bring in a winger, with moves to sign Chelsea’s Willian and Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic having stalled.

Mourinho is reported to have fined Martial two weeks’ wages for failing to return after being giving permission to leave their pre-season tour to the USA for the birth of his second child. ROY HODGSON says Wilfried Zaha is staying at Crystal Palace this summer.

The £70million-rated Eagles winger is attracting interest from Chelsea, and Tottenham are long-term admirers.

But Hodgson said: “I spoke to Wilf on Thursday and he certainly gave me no indication that he wanted to quit the club.

“In fact, we were talking about how good the new signings were and how they would help us.

“He’s very much an integral part of our plans, he’s very much an integral part of this club.”