Douglas Luiz has what it takes to once again become a ‘force’ in the Premier League, according to Nottingham Forest head coach Ange Postecoglou.
The midfielder is in line to make his Reds debut against Swansea City in the Carabao Cup this evening (8pm kick-off). And with a bit of love and boosting of confidence, Postecoglou is convinced Luiz can show his quality in the Garibaldi.
The Brazilian joined Forest on loan from Juventus last month after something of a tough season in Italy. Following his big-money move from Aston Villa little more than 12 months ago, he made just three league starts for the Serie A giants.
He has not started a competitive game since February, and the Reds have been treading carefully with him for that reason. But once he does get his chance, Luiz is being backed to take it.
“He is desperate to get out there, and I’m just as keen to see him,” Postecoglou said ahead of the trip to south Wales. “He was a force when he was at Villa in the Premier League and then went to Juventus.
“He's very keen to get out there and play. I was contemplating giving him some minutes at the weekend but we've taken a cautious approach with him because he hasn't played for a long time. But tomorrow night is a perfect opportunity to get some minutes into him.”
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Luiz made more than 200 appearances and scored 22 goals for Villa during a five-year stint in the West Midlands. He particularly thrived under the guidance of Unai Emery, who allowed him to play with greater freedom.
However, he couldn’t replicate that form with Juventus and is now bidding to get his career back on track on the banks of the Trent. A conditional obligation for Forest to turn his move into a permanent one is part of Luiz’s season-long loan deal, with reports suggesting a £21.5m clause will be triggered when he plays a certain number of games.
For the time being, though, Postecoglou is focused on rebuilding the 27-year-old’s confidence. He said of Luiz’s time in Italy: “I guess that's the most difficult part of any footballer's career - you often find that with a different environment or a different manager just has a different impression. As a footballer, you think, well, I'm doing everything I was doing and yet I'm not getting the same sort of outcome.
“For us, it's about trying to show Douglas how we think he fits into our football. You've got to give him a bit of love because, obviously, if they've come from a tough time, the reason they've come to new pastures is to hopefully feel connected again.
“He's definitely a fantastic footballer and it's not like you lose that. It's just sometimes different environments, for some reason, it just doesn't click. Our job is to show Douglas that in our environment we can get him back to being the best version of himself.”
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