Douglas Luiz: Who is Aston Villa's promising midfield starlet?

Here, we'll take an in-depth look at the latest man through the door...

Factfile

Full name: Douglas Luiz Soares de Paulo

Age: 21

DOB: 9/5/1998

Nationality: Brazilian

Height: 1.76m

Previous clubs: Girona (loan), Manchester City, Vasco da Gama

Career stats

Girona (all competitions):

2018/19 - 29 appearances, no goals, no assists

2017/18 - 17 appearances, no goals, no assists

Manchester City (all competitions):

No appearances made

Vasco de Gama (all competitions):

2016/17 - 11 appearances, one goal, no assists

2015/16 - 14 appearances, two goals, no assists

What kind of player is Douglas Luiz?

Best positioned in a holding midfield role, Douglas Luiz is one of the brightest young talents in Brazilian football, according to many South American football pundits.

Signed by Manchester City in 2017, he has failed to make an appearance for the club since signing for approximately €12m - but that's not a reflection of his ability. Instead, it's the fact that he has so far failed to secure a work permit at City as to why he's not featured for the club.

A very good passer and a brilliant ball carrier, Douglas Luiz has impressed on-loan at La Liga side Girona over the past two seasons, with many tipping him for a very bright future.

Whilst he doesn't rack up assists and goals, he's capable in attack too, with his strength and ability on the ball allowing him to bypass opponents and create opportunities for his teammates.

Very highly rated, he was named player of the tournament in the 2019 Toulon Tournament, scoring in Brazil's penalty shoot-out final win over Japan. He captains Brazil's U23 side too.

He began his footballing career at right-back, but moved into a central role early on at Vasco da Gama, quickly drawing City's gaze.

Some have even eyed Luiz as a future replacement for the ageing Fernandinho.

Will he fit in at Aston Villa?

Villa have quite clearly stated their intentions of finding a central defensive midfielder this summer, and Douglas Luiz certainly fits the bill.

With his ability to play in a box-to-box role, he's likely to give Conor Hourihane competition in the middle of the park, given the likelihood that Dean Smith will favour Jack Grealish and John McGinn in starting roles this season.

He certainly offers a different set of skills to the Irishman. Lacking his set-piece threat and eye for a goal, but bringing a much sturdier defensive shield for the back four and being a more capable ball carrier from deep.

His ability to start counter attacks could be something which is very beneficial for Villa too, given their status as a recently promoted side. This could see plenty of teams come on to Smith's side, creating opportunities for them to break at pace should Villa turnover possession.

The worry of course is his lack of Premier League experience. Whilst Hourihane is also lacking in that department, we're yet to see Douglas Luiz on British soil - but should he meet expectations, he could prove a real coup for Villa.

What is Douglas Luiz capable of?

Take a look at this video below to get a glimpse of what Douglas Luiz is capable of on the pitch:

Douglas Luiz in quotes

Pep Guardiola on Douglas Luiz's potential:

“He has potential – real potential,”

"He’s physically strong and he wants to learn. It was a good experience but he didn’t play regularly in Girona.

“I knew him very well from Brazil and he has trained with us for ten days.

Guardiola on failing to secure a work permit for Luiz last season:

"I accept the rules but it's difficult to understand. They don't know him,"

"They have to judge if he has the ability to decide. Me and [Brazil manager] Tite know more about it. They don't know him, not one game or training session,

"We spent £12-£14m because he's a player with a huge capacity to play with us.

"I'm so sad and disappointed for Douglas, he could have played, he's shown many good things,

"We are going to send him on loan again and try to get the work permit.

"I don't understand but we're in England and you have to accept it."

Former Brazil coach Tite on Luiz:

“He is great. The torque, the capacity, the passes, the smooth feet, good first touch, the ball protection.”

Douglas Luiz on his work permit issues:

“I made a good pre-season in the team, so Pep Guardiola backed me, he spoke publicly about my performance. This made me frustrated that I did not get the visa."

Luiz on playing in defensive midfield:

“It was not so difficult, because I have a good ball out that helps a lot to the team,”

“My biggest difficulty was in the marking, but with time and a lot of work I'm improving, as I've been doing since the pre-season with Pep, in Manchester City, and here in Girona.”

Luiz on playing against the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez:

“It was special because they are players that I watched on television and PlayStation and today I can realize the dream of facing them. But on the field we are rivals and each defends his club,”

Former Vasco da Gama boss and Brazilian World Cup winner Jorginho on Luiz:

“I saw him training with the youth team, I liked the way he played and we decided to promote him to train with the senior squad,”

“He’s a kid with huge talent. He grabbed the opportunity we gave him and didn’t let it go.

"He has technical ability, strength, a powerful shot from outside the area, that penetration,

"He’s not the kind of player who dominates his man and scraps, but he has good positional sense and brings the ball out really well.

"His passing is great over short and long distances. He can carry the ball, start counter-attacks, but also time his runs into the area. That makes him dangerous and he gets some important goals.

“I am certain he has a brilliant future ahead of him,”

Former Vasco da Gama coach Milton Mendes on Luiz:

“Douglas is the real thing,”

He’s one of the top defensive midfielders in Brazil, but he can play a more attacking role when the team requires.

"He has potential that you don’t see in many players. He’s a classic No.8 and I’m sure [Brazil coach] Tite is smart enough to find a spot for him in the Seleção.”