As he lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy with Aston Villa earlier in the week, one could be forgiven for assuming that the marriage between Douglas Luiz and Juventus is firmly over.
However, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, that may not be the case just yet.
Luiz became a pariah in Turin under Igor Tudor and was loaned back to the Premier League at the start of the season, initially joining Nottingham Forest. However, the Tricky Treesโ managerial turnover, and Luizโs own thigh injury, meant he never found his feet at the City Ground and returned to Aston Villa for the second half of the season.
Back at Villa Park, Luiz quickly became a mainstay in Unai Emeryโs team, establishing himself at the heart of Villaโs midfield and playing an important role in helping them seal a top-five finish in the Premier League as well as win the Europa League, thus ending their three-decade-long trophy drought.
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Luiz is the wildcard Juve need
Juventusโ current manager, Luciano Spalletti, never got the chance to work with Luiz. He has also asked the club for a deep-lying midfielder to bolster his squad.
The circumstances that dictated Luiz becoming at outcast at Juve have flipped. His is a profile in demand back at his parent club, Spalletti is a significantly more promising prospect for him as a coach.
While the club may still sell him in the summer, with Villa having the option to buy him back for a fee in the region of โฌ25 million, if a move does not materialise, Luiz may yet end up playing a key role in what transpires at Allianz Stadium over the coming months.ย
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Anshuman Joshi I GIFN
