Former Aston Villa man, Paul Merson has opened up about Douglas Luiz, suggesting he has been as good as Declan Rice and Rodri this season.
It has been nothing short of a superb campaign for Aston Villa who now find themselves sitting in second place in the Premier League.
Under the tutelage of Unai Emery, the Villans have gone from strength to strength and have many star players.
There has been plenty of praise for players like Ollie Watkins who has nine goals and eight assists in the league already.
He has been one of the main names but another is Douglas Luiz who has been one of the best players under Emery. This has seen him included in Alan Shearer’s Team of the Season so far in the past week.
As well as this, he has now been singled out for praise by a former Villa star who is held in high regard at Villa Park.
Merson compares Douglas Luiz to Premier League elite
There is no doubt in the ability that Luiz has and he has shown this on many occasions so far this campaign. This has seen him register six goals and three assists in 19 Premier League starts, according to FotMob.
With that being said, former Villa star, Paul Merson has now likened Luiz to some of the elite defensive midfielders in the division. Speaking with Sportskeeda, he has opened up about the Brazilian international.
On that, he said: “He can sit as a holding midfielder and mop things up for his team but he also gets in the box and scores goals – as we’ve seen so often this season. He’s quite well-rounded and still very underrated, but in the 2023-24 campaign, he has started getting his fair share of recognition.
“People wouldn’t put him in the same breath as Declan Rice or Rodri, but based on their performances this season, I’d certainly put Luiz up there with the pair. With Casemiro and Fabinho past their best in recent seasons, the ex-Manchester City midfielder could also become a key player for Brazil in the years ahead.”
It must be said that he isn’t necessarily a defensive-minded midfielder. With Boubacar Kamara alongside him, the Brazilian is able to get further forward and make things happen offensively.
He has been a superb force so far this campaign and it is great to see Villa stars be discussed in such high esteem.
