Former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz made his competitive debut for Juventus in Serie A on Monday as the Italian giants secured a 3-0 victory over Como.
Douglas Luiz was the lynchpin in Aston Villa’s midfield and transformed into an incredible player under the watchful eye of Unai Emery.
The Brazilian produced nine goals and as many assists in all competitions last term, with the 26-year-old becoming an integral influence in the Villa squad.
Luiz was previously subjected to interest from Arsenal and Liverpool as the Villans valued him at upwards of £100 million in the January transfer window.
That fee was much higher than the £42 million received from Juventus this summer, who were forced into selling at least one of their star players to avoid breaching Premier League spending rules.
It was ultimately sad to see Luiz depart, especially with a Champions League campaign on the horizon, with many supporters perhaps wondering how he’s getting on at his new club.
- READ MORE: Jamie Carragher delivers ‘massive’ Unai Emery verdict in Aston Villa Champions League prediction
How Douglas Luiz fared on competitive Juventus debut vs Como
In their first Serie A match of the season, Luiz was surprisingly named as a substitute, coming off the bench for the final 11 minutes against Como.
The decision to not start the Brazil international was perhaps due to him playing for his country at Copa America, although it would have been a shock to Luiz, who was always one of the first names on the team sheet at Villa Park.
Despite replacing Manuel Locatelli in the closing stages of the match, with Juve leading 2-0, manager Thiago Motta was still impressed by how he ‘dictated the tempo’ of the game.
“Thiago Motta on Luiz – “Douglas (Luiz) and Nicolò (Fagioli ) came in very well to continue to dictate the tempo,” said Motta. “We have players who want to have the ball, who want to play.”
Luiz oozed class in his short cameo and produced statistics that Villa supporters were accustomed to seeing. As per Sofascore, he recorded a 100% pass completion (14/14), placed 3/3 long balls accurately, won four of his five attempted ground duels and was successful with two dribbles.
Whilst he did his best to force his way into the starting XI, it is questionable as to whether he’s been fully replaced at Villa.
- READ MORE: Unai Emery now plotting loan exit for ‘superb’ talent who Aston Villa only signed this summer
Have Aston Villa replaced Luiz?
The Villans have invested in three new midfielders during this window; Enzo Barrenchea, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley.
Onana endeared himself wonderfully to the Villa faithful on debut by scoring inside four minutes while Barkley was an unused substitute and Barrenchea was left out of the squad completely.
In terms of his quality and presence centrally, it’s difficult to replace Luiz, who could arguably play for most clubs in world football.
Sourcing a replacement for such a player, therefore, doesn’t come cheap, so eyebrows were raised when Emery captured Onana for £50 million from Everton.
Whilst he’s not similar in profile to Luiz, he does offer tremendous ball-carrying attributes and the physicality to win the midfield battle.
He showed that in the win over West Ham as he was given Man of the Match on debut, with the biggest challenge for the 23-year-old now to keep up the consistency, starting against Arsenal on Saturday.
