Douglas Luiz rewarded for superb Aston Villa form
Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has been rewarded for his excellent form with a recall to the Brazil national team.
The 25-year-old has been called up for forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina, with interim head coach Fernando Diniz claiming he is in the best form of his career.
Luiz has been a major influence on Villa’s impressive start to the season, scoring six goals in 17 appearances in all competitions.
Part of the Brazil team which won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, he won the most recent of his nine senior caps in October 2021.
Diniz admitted his performances for Villa meant he could no longer be overlooked.
“Douglas is one of the highlights of the Premier League, he’s a player who’s been monitored here for a long time,” said the Brazil boss. “He’s been in the first team, an Olympic champion.
“I’ve known him since he was very young and he’s going through the best moment of his career. It’s a well deserved call-up. He’s a player with a lot of character and has everything it takes to start a new era with the national team.”
Luiz, who joined Villa from Manchester City for £15million in 2019, was recently nominated for the Premier League's player of the month award for October. Supporters can cast their vote online, with the winner announced on Friday.
