Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Sat 23 May 2026 18:10, UK

Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has failed to meet expectations since his return in January.

Back on loan from Juventus, the Brazilian returned to Villa Park after an underwhelming spell at Nottingham Forest.

Luiz had initially departed for the Bianconeri in 2024, off the back of an impressive run of form under Unai Emery.

However, his disappointing stint in Turin led to a move back to England, and he is now in his second loan spell of the season.

Given his earlier heroics in claret and blue all those years ago, supporters in B6 will be wondering where it has all gone wrong.

Two-year anniversary reminds Aston Villa of Douglas Luiz exploits

Joining from Manchester City in 2019, Luiz continued to grow in importance throughout his time at Villa Park.

Returning in January, it is now hard to believe that the man who departed the club is the same player.

Looking back to May 2024, it is now two years since Luiz was named player of the season for the Villans as they secured Champions League football under Emery.

Since then, the midfielder has now made just 11 starts in the Premier League this season, with six of these coming in claret and blue.

On top of this, he has not started in the league since the 4-1 loss to Chelsea back in March, with all six of his Villa starts coming during the period when Emery was without Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara.

Some numbers have improved since his 2023-24 campaign, with his tackles per game and touches per game at 2.33 and 84.49, though the stylistic difference between the previous Villa side and the new edition alongside Nottingham Forest could not be larger.

To go with that, he has scored just once this season, scoring the only goal in the loss to Chelsea earlier this year.

Does Douglas Luiz have a future at Aston Villa?

When he left the club in 2024, the stocks of Luiz were at an all-time high.

That season has either turned out to be a flash in the pan, or his time at Juventus has completely stripped him of confidence, because either way, Luiz looks like a completely different player.

Following their transformative Europa League win against Freiburg, the B6 outfit are looking to continue shifting through the gears as a club.

As a result, there is no room for sentiment as they build.

Luiz added numbers during a dire situation in January, though it seems that his purpose will be served over the summer, with the Brazilian heading back to Juventus, having had two unsuccessful loans.

For Villa fans, though, they are left wondering where it all went wrong for the midfielder.