Douglas Luiz was one of the better midfielders in the Premier League at his pomp with Aston Villa and that resulted in transfer links with clubs around Europe.
Juventus were the ones to eventually take the plunge last summer and agree a big money deal with the Premier League club, but things didn’t go according to plan for the Brazilian.
The Italian media appeared to be on his back from day one and he’s faced a series of injuries, doubt from managers, and criticism verging on mockery from onlookers.
He was recently left out of the Juventus squad entirely and that could continue, which is absolutely not what he expected when choosing to leave Aston Villa.
There’s been talk of a return to the Premier League and if he can secure that in the summer then perhaps it’s something he should grasp.
Now he’s bitten back.
After posting an image on Instagram, a fan asked if he’d moved to Italy to just post photos, and that appeared to be the straw to break the camel’s back.
Tuttosport, one of those who have been most critical, picked up on his reponse.
They quote him as saying: “I didn’t come here just to post photos, no one else did that, and I want things to be different. I came here with a purpose. I listened to my heart when I arrived and decided to sign. Now I want you to answer me: why has a signing like mine not played two consecutive games with this shirt? You can say what you want to the press later: ‘Oh, Douglas is not fit’. Am I not fit? I did the whole preseason and played every game. I had just had one of the best seasons of my career, one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
“Injuries have hindered me, yes, but how long was I on the bench when I was healthy? A lot. These injuries were not normal. I have never been a player who gets injured, but there are so many things that could have caused this that I would prefer not to comment on. I will continue to do everything for this club, even if it is difficult at times, but you can count on me!”
The frustration, and indeed anger, shines through and an exit looks to be the best outcome at this stage.
Maybe Aston Villa can take a look, especially after Monchi hinted he’d be keen to bring the midfielder back.
