Douglas Luiz admits that he ‘hopes’ to re-join Vasco da Gama at some point in the future but remains committed to life at Premier League outfit Aston Villa, speaking to ESPN Brazil.
During Aston Villa’s 2-0 win away at an imploding Tottenham Hotspur, it was difficult not to be excited about what looks to be a telepathic and perfectly-balanced partnership of Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara at the heart of a well-organised, well-drilled Unai Emery side.
Luiz, thanks to the presence of Kamara beside him, has been given the freedom to push on and do what he always wanted to do in claret-and-blue. Contribute not just in the defensive third but in the attacking one too.
It was the former Man City youngster who helped set up Emi Buendia’s opener at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; his long-range strike rebounding off Hugo Lloris and into the Argentine’s path. Luiz then doubled the lead late on, breaking into the box and finishing in style.
Luiz is already playing some of the best football of his Aston Villa career since Emery arrived to take Steven Gerrard’s place at Bodymoor Heath; the 24-year-old putting those exit rumours behind him following a summer of sustained speculation.
Douglas Luiz happy at Aston Villa but wants to return to Brazil ‘one day’
Speaking to ESPN, Luiz admitted that he plans to return to Brazil ‘one day’. But, for now, both he and team-mate Philippe Coutinho are ‘happy’ with life under Emery.
“Really, (Coutinho) is very happy. We always talk. We always joke about going back to Vasco together (laughs). And I hope that, one day, we can play together there. But he’s very happy here,” explains Luiz, who signed a new deal in October.
“Our focus is here for the moment. (Coutinho is), I think, 30 now. And a player can play at a high level until he’s 35. So, I don’t think he’s in that rush to go to Brazil now.”
Reports in December claimed that Coutinho had asked to leave Aston Villa; a return to South America appealing to the former Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich playmaker. Emery, however, can continue to count upon the services of Luiz and Coutinho for the forseable future, it seems.
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