Aston Villa begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday and it will be without a key figure in Douglas Luiz.
The Brazil international played a huge part in Aston Villa reaching the elite competition, not just last season, but ever since he joined the club in 2019 and how he helped the Midlands outfit rise again.
But Villa had to sell Luiz to Juventus in the summer for Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and many felt that a big void had been left in the club’s midfield.
Unai Emery would only get a true answer once the new season began, and four Premier League games in, the sense is that Luiz isn’t being missed.
Gabby Agbonlahor made that point after Villa’s outstanding comeback win over Everton on Saturday to make it three wins from four games.
All the talk is about the Jhon Duran winner, but Agbonlahor wanted to give his flowers to Youri Tielemans and the role he played in the three points being delivered.
Last summer, following Leicester City’s relegation to the Championship, the Belgian star’s contract at the King Power Stadium expired and he was snapped up by Villa on a free transfer.
Agbonlahor thinks that is now ‘wild’ because he has been an ‘outstanding’ player for the team and the reason why they aren’t missing Luiz, as he told talkSPORT.
There is a long way to go yet, but as of this moment, Tielemans is flying, Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana have started well, all of which is filling the so-called void left by Luiz.
Youri Tielemans’ performances for Aston Villa
“To think that Aston Villa got him on a free transfer is wild,” said Agbonlahor after naming Tielemans in his Team of the Week. “What an outstanding player!
“Regular for the Belgium national team, done great things at Leicester as well. I just love the way he gets on the ball. He makes Aston Villa tick. He finds those hard balls. He doesn’t care about pass completion. He tries those hard balls. For Watkins’ second goal, he plays that ball in behind, then Harrison knocks it into Watkins.
“But other midfielders will try and play a safe ball and then Aston Villa don’t score that goal. I really think that he has made Aston Villa fans not think about Douglas Luiz. No one’s mentioning that we miss Douglas Luiz because Tielemans can do exactly what Douglas Luiz can do, and I thought he was very good against Everton.”
Youri Tielemans in the Champions League
Villa begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday against Young Boys, with the team having an amazing chance to prove their worth.
Win this first match and then it will provide everyone with a huge boost going into their next set of fixtures – Wolves at home, League Cup and Ipswich away.
READ MORE: Dion Dublin now reveals his prediction for Aston Villa in the Champions League this season
Then it’s Villa’s mouthwatering tie against Bayern Munich. A fitting way to begin the Champions League journey on home soil.
And, of course, Luiz will return home in Juventus colours later on in the year when Villa lock horns with the Italian giants, so a lot to look forward to.
