With Aston Villa preparing to face Manchester City in the Premier League tonight, ESPN Brasil features a good pre-match interview with Villans’ star Douglas Luiz.
The midfielder left Brazil when bought by Pep Guardiola’s side back in 2017, and due to visa issues, he was never able to play a single match for the club.
Manchester City ended up selling him to Aston Villa in 2019, and he now insists he’s happy with how everything worked out.
Douglas Luiz started by highlighting the respect he has for the Citizens, but made it clear there are no regrets about not having played for them.
“There’s no way for me to know if it was the best or the worst way, because I couldn’t do it both ways. But it’s a club I’m very grateful to, because it was the club that went to Brazil, brought me to Europe, something every player dreams of,” Douglas Luiz told ESPN Brasil.
“I also knew about the contract when I went to Girona. It didn’t go as planned, because they told me I was going to Girona, gain more experience and then go back to Manchester City, something that didn’t happen. But I’m not frustrated at all, I’m very happy with the moment I’m living.”
The player was also asked about the possibility of scoring against Manchester City, and says he’s hopeful that will still happen.
“It would be nice, really. I’ve played against Manchester City a few times and I really wanted to score there, but it hasn’t happened so far. I’m waiting for the right moment (laughs).”
Aston Villa only spent €16.8m to sign Douglas Luiz back in 2019, and the investment was very much worth it. He’s made 173 appearances for the club, with 18 goals and 18 assists, and is currently valued by Transfermarkt at €55m.
The Brazilian is now under contract with the club until 2026.
