Douglas Luiz lifts the lid on Unai Emery's regime amid Aston Villa transfer links

Douglas Luiz's future at Aston Villa is under the microscope while he's away with his native Brazil ahead of their Copa America campaign in the US later this month. Midfielder Luiz, a signing from Manchester City in 2020, has grown with Villa in their latest Premier League stint and has confirmed himself as one of the most talented central midfielders in England.

Luiz, 26, has certainly thrived and hit a new height since the appointment of Unai Emery in October 2022; while the Brazilian was a key component of the sides under Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard, it's under Emery where he has truly flourished in the middle and helped Villa reach the Champions League last season.

Now, though, speculation intensifies daily as regards to a move to Juventus. Not that the player himself seems to be hammering the doors down and making demands to leave the club. Indeed based on a recent interview conducted by the Guardian while Luiz is away on international duty, he only had positive things to say about Emery and his experiences of playing for Villa in England's top flight.

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“Unai is a little bit crazy,” he told the Guardian. “I say it because of his sense of intensity. He’s very passionate about what he does. Very intense in his work and in the things he wants. Sometimes it’s quite funny. In that last game against Liverpool, he celebrated Jhon Durán’s goal, he got emotional, said a lot of things and then in the dressing room he looked like a completely different person.

“It’s great to work with him and be part of this moment we’re living, but what I like most about him is that he always tries to understand the athlete’s personal side, the human being. He always calls us to talk in person. I see a lot of clarity in that conversation.

“What he did was simple. He organised my game well with Boubacar Kamara. Kamara’s arrival helped me a lot. He’s a young player I’ve always got on well with, who has always understood my game style. With his arrival, I’ve had more freedom,” explained the midfielder.

“Today I see myself more as a second midfielder than a first. The freedom that Unai has given me with Kamara has made my job a lot easier. You can clearly see that. A good example is Kamara’s injury. After that I had to play further back and I didn’t take part in the attack as much, I didn’t score as many goals as before because I had to help more in a defensive way.”

Luiz is one of many Brazilians currently playing in the Premier League. Richarlison, Antony, Gabriel Martinelli, Joao Gomes, Bruno Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta, Joao Pedro, Ederson...indeed it feels as though most top flight clubs boast at least one Samba star. For Luiz, there is no greater place to be competing.

“It’s the best league in the world," he added. "Everyone wants to play here and feel the atmosphere on the pitch. The history of the Premier League is very big. We, Brazilians, are smart enough to know that the Premier League is the best league in the world and everyone wants to feel that emotion, to play for a big club. That’s really cool.

“In the Premier League, you have to focus 100% on football. You can’t think about anything else. It’s a league that demands a lot from you daily, in training and matches. That’s the only way to succeed. That’s the secret to success here.”

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