Garth Crooks has suggested that Douglas Luiz has been a revelation for Aston Villa under Unai Emery following his goal in the 6-1 win over Brighton at the weekend.
Crooks was speaking to BBC Sport as he named the Brazilian in his team of the week, and tipped the Villans to achieve something special in the near future.
Douglas Luiz put the icing on the cake on Saturday as Aston Villa stunned the Seagulls. And the goal saw the 25-year-old continue a remarkable run of form in front of goal.
Luiz went into last season having not scored more than three goals in a single campaign during his career. However, something appears to have changed over the last 12 months for the £15 million.
The former Manchester City man scored six Premier League goals last term. And he is already halfway towards that tally this time around.
Garth Crooks lauds Douglas Luiz after he scores again
And Garth Crooks suggested that he has been so impressed by what he has seen from the midfielder since Unai Emery arrived.
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“The ease with which he struck the ball to score his fifth consecutive home league goal in the 6-1 win over Brighton said it all for me. This player has been a revelation for Aston Villa since the arrival of Unai Emery,” he told BBC Sport.
“I always thought it would have been Philippe Coutinho who would be setting the scene alight at Villa Park, but it’s another Brazilian who seems to be doing that right now.
“Luiz is playing out of his skin at the moment, meanwhile the team don’t look out of place in the top six. Something mildly exciting is going on at the Villa and with another couple of additions in January who knows what they could achieve.”
Aston Villa continue to make rapid progress under Unai Emery
Aston Villa have suffered a couple of heavy defeats already this season. However, their performances have been outstanding.
In fact, the only team to have scored more goals than Villa in the Premier League so far this term has been Brighton.
They currently sit fifth in the table. And actually, they only find themselves three points behind Manchester City after their defeat to Wolves at the weekend.
Obviously, it seems too soon to start talking about Villa amongst the title contenders in the Premier League. But their belief will be sky high right now. And their progress under Emery has been rapid, considering he took over when they appeared to be on the periphery of a relegation battle.
With game-changers such as Douglas Luiz in their ranks, it is certainly fair to say that their potential could be frightening.