Douglas Luiz Underrated At Juve, Says Capello

Fabio Capello believes Juventus should not be too hasty in giving up on Douglas Luiz after a dismal first season in Serie A. ‘I think he is undervalued and perhaps wasn’t put in a position to give his best.’

The midfielder was a huge signing from Aston Villa last summer at €50m, requested specifically by coach Thiago Motta and director of sport Cristiano Giuntoli.

Now a year on, both those figures have been sacked and Douglas Luiz has not turned up for pre-season training, meaning he is likely to be frozen out entirely.

“It’s a pity, because I think he is undervalued,” former Juventus coach Capello told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“He was not convincing, but I liked him, even if he disappeared pretty quickly from the team. He seemed as if he had the necessary quality and was a good player.”

Douglas Luiz not the only flop at Juventus
Capello is concerned that Douglas Luiz is by no means the only player in that Juventus squad who failed to live up to expectations last season.

“The Brazilian is one of those players who right now are not considered to be suitable, but perhaps wasn’t put in a position to give his best. For example, Nico Gonzalez and Teun Koopmeiners too.

“Juventus spent a boat load of money to sign players they thought were right for Juve. Just look at Koopmeiners, it seems impossible to think this is the same player who made the difference with Atalanta.

“So if there are this many players who struggled to integrate and give what was expected of them, you have to ask yourself a few questions. Now the risk is that some of them will leave and prove in other teams that they can do what they were unable to show with the Bianconeri.”

There is no shortage of players who are unhappy at Juventus and pushing for the exit this summer, although some are also being shoved out over contract disputes, like Dusan Vlahovic.

“The club has the Sword of Damocles hanging over its head with Vlahovic, we still don’t know how this will end,” continued Capello.

“I am still not sure if Dusan really wants to hang on and leave as a free agent, but if he does, he risks sitting out a year and having few offers at the end of it. I feel like Milan are behind the scenes, as Max Allegri wants him, knows what he can do, and this increases the confidence of both. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

Football-italia.net