Ange Postecoglou drops Douglas Luiz hint ahead of Nottingham Forest vs Swansea

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Swansea City in the Carabao Cup gives Nottingham Forest the chance to give minutes to some of their new signings, with Douglas Luiz still awaiting his debut.

Douglas Luiz signed for Forest on loan from Juventus, a deal that will be made permanent should the Brazilian play at least 45 minutes in 15 separate games this season.

However, it was quickly revealed that Nuno Espírito Santo didn’t push to sign Luiz, evidenced by the fact that he was an unused substitute against Crystal Palace and West Ham United.

Luiz remained on the bench in Ange Postecoglou’s first game in charge, too, but the new head coach has dropped a hint that the Brazilian’s chance may finally come against Swansea.

Ange Postecoglou hints at Douglas Luiz opportunity vs Swansea

Perhaps surprisingly, it was Ryan Yates who got an opportunity for some minutes against Arsenal on Saturday, with Luiz seeing out a third consecutive game on the bench.

In his press conference ahead of the Swansea clash, though, Postecoglou emphasised the importance of getting minutes into the legs of those who haven’t seen much action.

He said: “The club invested heavily in the summer, a lot of new players and they haven’t really had a chance to get out there.

“Some of them haven’t played at all, and Wednesday is a perfect opportunity to get them out there and give them a feel of what it is like to play for the club while getting some match fitness into them.”

You’d like to think that Luiz would fit into this mould, but even if he only receives limited minutes on Wednesday, Postecoglou emphasised the importance of the entire squad as the season progresses.

Ange Postecoglou values his entire Nottingham Forest squad

The former Tottenham boss has arrived at the City Ground with what is undoubtedly the strongest squad that Forest have amassed since returning to the Premier League, with strong alternatives across the board.

This does create the issue of sharing the minutes around, though, but Postecoglou has emphasised that everyone will be needed to help the Reds succeed.

He continued: “We’re going to need all of the players, and the last thing you want to do is throw players in who haven’t played in over a month, so both from a squad perspective but for the individuals themselves, tomorrow is a great opportunity.”