Juventus boss Thiago Motta is still expecting to see better displays from Douglas Luiz whose levels are on the up and up.
The Brazilian was one of the club’s costliest signings last summer, with the club shelling out 50 million euros to lure from Aston Villa in an operation that included both cash and the services of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea.
However, the player who delighted Villa Park with his influential displays over the past few years was nowhere to be seen during the first half of the season. The 26-year-old was behind his teammates on the physical level upon his return from an extended summer vacation (having played in the Copa America), and then sustained a muscle injury in October that ruled him out of action for two months.
Nevertheless, the Brazil international has been showing encouraging signs since last month. Following his impactful cameo against Como last Friday, Motta rewarded him with a starting role against PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of the Champions League play-off round.
While it wasn’t exactly a masterclass display, it was deemed another convincing showing in the middle of the park from a player who’s gradually establishing himself as an important piece in the manager’s tactical jigsaw. Douglas produced 61 passes, with a successful passing rate of 94%.
Nevertheless, Motta promises Juventus fans that the best has yet to come.
“You haven’t seen anything of him [Luiz] yet. I’m happy that he’s finally doing well,” said Motta in his post-match interview via IlBianconero.
On a related note, La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Giovanni Albanese explained that the Brazil international was wrongfully dubbed as a lazy player during his first few months at Juventus, but in fact, he was only struggling to adapt to the new training methods that are significantly different from the ones he grew accustomed to at Aston Villa.
