Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti has not shut the door on former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, with reports suggesting he plans to revive the Brazilian's career in Turin. Luiz spent the second half of last season on loan at Villa, where he played just 13 league games and scored once, after initially joining Nottingham Forest for the first part of the campaign. His future remains uncertain as he faces further scrutiny.
Loan Spell and Current Form
While his spell at Villa ended with silverware, Luiz is yet to hit the heights at Juventus, where he struggled to recapture the form that lit up the Premier League during his first spell at B6. The midfielder's £45m move to Italy has not gone as expected, with injuries hampering his progress. According to a report in Gazzetta dello Sport, Spalletti is eager to get the best out of Luiz.
The report states: "The Tuscan coach wants to evaluate players returning from loan spells, hoping to seize some unexpected opportunities. Among these, Douglas Luiz is the one who intrigues him the most." Despite seven muscular issues in the last two seasons, Spalletti is keen to test him during the first few weeks of work at Continassa, before the August tour to Hong Kong and Australia.
Spalletti's Plan for Luiz
The former national team coach is convinced that Luiz's technique and tactical awareness have not suddenly vanished and could shine again in his possession-based system and "dominant" style of play. In essence, Spalletti wants to experiment with him as a deep-lying playmaker, similar to what he did with Pizarro at Udinese and Roma, Brozovic at Inter, and Lobotka at Napoli. For now, it's a concept, but it might turn into a full-blown "Spalletti masterstroke."
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