Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Tue 5 May 2026 18:40, UK

Douglas Luiz has fallen behind in the Aston Villa pecking order, and even with Amadou Onana’s fitness being a concern, he has not been called upon.

The Brazilian made a sensational return to Villa Park in the winter window, with the Villans going through an injury crisis in the middle of the pitch, and has since made 15 appearances in all competitions.

Luiz looked to have settled in quickly, reminding fans of what they came to love during his inaugural spell in B6.

However, when the injured stars began returning, the minutes started to dwindle, with Unai Emery seemingly favouring others over him.

But with Onana’s injury potentially keeping him out of Aston Villa’s second leg against Nottingham Forest, Luiz should be at the top of Emery’s list to replace him.

Why Douglas Luiz must start if Amadou Onana is ruled out for Aston Villa

With Aston Villa trailing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest, they will need to be more proactive going forward to overturn the deficit.

While Lamare Bogarde has been Emery’s go-to replacement for Onana over the last few games, Luiz may be the best option to call upon.

The Brazilian is more forward-thinking and boasts a much higher key-passes-per-game rate. In the Premier League he is averaging 1.1 per match, as per Sofascore.

In comparison, Bogarde’s is a measly 0.08 key passes per game. Additionally, Luiz is stronger at winning duels (57 per cent success rate) than the Dutchman (51 per cent success rate).

Bogarde also wins the ball back less frequently than Luiz with 1.5 balls recovered per game, and Luiz coming in with 2.7.

Luiz is better at winning his battles and is more creative with the ball as well as being capable of winning the ball back more.

The Aston Villa manager must be brave and choose Luiz, especially if Emery wants to keep his excellent Europa League comeback record.

Douglas Luiz fighting for Aston Villa future

While he is on loan, Aston Villa do have an option to buy the Brazilian, but if recent weeks are anything to go by, he will not be moving back to Villa Park permanently.

However, with just potentially five games for Aston Villa to go, that could all change with some strong performances.

Emery will ultimately have the final say as to whether the 27-year-old gets the opportunity to make his case.

But he should at the very least be given the fixture against Nottingham Forest. It is not a risk to start a player of his qualities when Villa need goals.