Nottingham Forest fans will remember Douglas Luiz’s brief spell at the City Ground as a frustrating chapter in the midfielder’s career, but his fortunes have changed dramatically since then.
Luiz’s time at Forest was supposed to provide the Brazilian with an opportunity to rebuild his career after a difficult first season at Juventus. Instead, his spell in Nottingham became even more complicated, with three different head coaches taking charge and none of them consistently trusting him in the starting XI.
The midfielder had joined Juventus from Aston Villa for €50million in June 2024, arriving under Thiago Motta, who was dismissed just nine months later. Luiz managed only three Serie A starts and three more in the Champions League during that difficult campaign.
Within months, speculation had already emerged that he could return to the Premier League.
His second season as a Juventus player did not actually take place in Turin, as Igor Tudor sent him to Nottingham Forest on loan. Juventus also made sure the agreement contained a conditional obligation to buy.
But Luiz’s Forest experience quickly became complicated. Nuno Espirito Santo, the manager who had brought him to the City Ground, was gone within a month, with Ange Postecoglou taking over. The former Tottenham boss then lasted only a matter of weeks before being replaced by Sean Dyche.
Three head coaches with completely different footballing philosophies were nevertheless united by one issue – a steadfast refusal to regularly select the Brazilian. On top of that, injuries repeatedly interrupted Luiz whenever he was available.
Just five months – and only a handful of starts – after believing his future could be on Trentside, Luiz was sent back to Aston Villa.
To his credit, he made 13 Premier League appearances after returning under Unai Emery, but the reality was that he had gone from being a regular Brazil international to something of a forgotten man.
He returned to Turin in the summer having missed the World Cup, with three years remaining on his Juventus contract and questions surrounding who might actually want him.
Strangely, the answer has turned out to be…Juventus.
Under Luciano Spalletti, the 28-year-old has started all five Serie A matches and has also started one Europa League fixture.
After an underwhelming pre-season, Luiz responded to Spalletti’s demand that he move the ball more quickly, and his performances have now earned praise from the Juventus coach.
It is only fair to point out that Luiz’s opportunity came partly because of injuries to Manuel Locatelli and Khéphren Thuram. But as their doors closed, Luiz’s opened, and he has walked straight through it – not only returning to the Juventus starting XI but also earning a Brazil recall for the first time since the month after he left Aston Villa.
He does so with Spalletti’s praise ringing in his ears: “Douglas Luiz is strong physically,” the Italian said recently. “He can handle the battle and is always willing to run and cover metres for his teammates. Playing short and long is something he does very well. These are his qualities.”
Carlo Ancelotti, who has his own questions to answer following Brazil’s disappointing World Cup campaign, has taken notice.
The former Chelsea and Everton boss is undeniably ‘trying a few options’, having left out several players who struggled during the summer. Just as Luiz has managed to work his way back into the Juventus set-up, he now has another opportunity to prove himself on the international stage.
Brazil face Australia in two friendlies, first in Townsville on September 25 and then in Brisbane four days later. They will also face India in Kolkata on October 3 – a year on from the thigh injury that ultimately helped turn Luiz’s time at the City Ground into a failure.