Stephen Warnock has lauded the qualities and improvement Douglas Luiz has made under Unai Emery at Aston Villa following the 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
Before Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in the dugout, many fans were aware of Douglas Luiz’s talents and how he was a top player.
The only issue was that, just like the rest of his teammates, his form had gone out of the window and, at times, he wasn’t even getting picked under the Englishman.
All of that sounds crazy now, especially after the 25-year-old scored goals number eight and nine for the season to help Aston Villa to a 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Stephen Warnock expressed how much he ‘loves’ Douglas Luiz as a player and that he has gone ‘above his own expectations’ under Unai Emery, as he told The Football Show on Sky Sports.
The former Aston Villa left-back added that the weekend win was ‘great’ for the team, as it also further boosted the club’s chances of securing Champions League football in May.
If Aston Villa are to continue flying down this current road, then players like their Brazilian maestro in midfield need to remain fit.
Douglas Luiz’s improvement under Unai Emery
“I love this guy,” said Warnock. “I love Douglas Luiz. I think he brings a calmness. He understands the system that Unai Emery wants to play.
“He is brilliant. Adding goals to his game as well. We often think of him as a holding midfielder who sits and doesn’t really get into goalscoring positions and floods the box.
“But I think his all-round game, in the time that Unai Emery has been at the club, has just gone way above his own expectations. He has learnt so much from the manager. That was a great win for them.”
Aston Villa’s mood ahead of a few big games
It’s Luton Town up next for Vllla, which will be, without a doubt, followed up by the club’s biggest week in a very, very long time.
Starting with the Ajax game, then Spurs on Sunday, before the second leg game against the Dutch giants.
Win them all and the Villa supporters will be on the highest of highs.
Thankfully, some good news has been coming out of Bodymoor Heath because Ezri Konsa is back training and is now in contention to feature against Luton.
You wouldn’t expect him to start because you don’t want to risk him, but what a boost that is for the team at such a crucial stage of the campaign.
