Paul Merson has lauded Douglas Luiz after his brace helped Aston Villa see off David Moyes’ West Ham United 4-1 at Villa Park on Sunday.
That’s 11 straight home league wins for Unai Emery’s men and the club’s best start to a Premier League campaign in the 21st century.
The man in the dugout deserves huge credit for the turnaround, with Douglas Luiz being a key figure for Aston Villa during that period.
As the Midlands side were proving too difficult to handle for West Ham, Paul Merson claimed on Twitter that Douglas Luiz has ‘got to be one of the most underrated players in the league’.
Well, for those outside of Villa Park, the answer is probably yes. But not for those inside the club’s four walls.
It needs to be noted that Douglas Luiz was Villa’s Player of the Season during the previous campaign, as well as the Players’ Player of the Season.
That in itself proves that he is appreciated by those who watch him on a weekly basis.
‘Underrated’ Douglas Luiz
Six-in-a-row for Douglas Luiz
That’s nine Premier League games and five Premier League goals for Luiz this season, who also broke a club record during the win against West Ham.
For the sixth home game in a row, he found the back of the net – the only man in Claret and Blue colours to do so.
Given that the team is performing so well and Luiz has the more defensive-minded Boubacar Kamara next to him, then it’s allowing him to roam forward that bit more.
And as we saw with Villa’s opening goal against the Hammers, he has that pin-point finish in his locker, as well as the ice-cool nature to put away penalties.
