Douglas Luiz was an eye-catching signing made by Nottingham Forest during the summer transfer window.
The Brazilian player signed from Juventus on an initial season-long loan deal with certain requirements, making it a permanent deal should they be met.
Luiz has struggled for game time, although he recently returned to action after a series of injury issues, and Forest won 2-1 against FC Utrecht.
With Ibrahim Sangare now heading to the African Cup of Nations, Luiz will hope to enjoy a run of games in the team, and Sean Dyche will undoubtedly be looking forward to seeing more of him in action.
What Douglas Luiz has found hard since signing for Forest
It certainly hasn’t been a walk in the park for Luiz since signing for Forest, and some of the factors have been out of his control
One thing that he’s not claimed hasn’t helped him stay fit is the fact that Forest have had three different managers during the 2025/26 campaign.
He told the Daily Mail: “There have been many chances and it’s hard mentally and also for my body. I was at Villa for five years, and there were changes of manager but the overall idea of the club was the same, so many things more or less stayed the same.
“Since I’ve arrived at Forest, there have been three different coaches and it’s difficult to find the way to be fit because they have different mindsets.
“When there is a change, the game plan changes, and so does the training style. Some coaches like to train in a lighter way, others go harder and that was difficult for my body at the start. Now I have so much focus on being fit.”
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Luiz now deserves run of games at Forest
Having played over 200 times for Aston Villa during his career, Luiz was viewed as a bit of a coup when Forest signed him during the summer.
However, the midfielder hasn’t really got going yet, even if he has oozed quality when he has been called upon by either Dyche or Ange Postecoglou.
Now, with Sangare off playing for the Ivory Coast, Luiz has a great chance to really stamp his authority on the team once and for all and prove that he should be signed permanently.
Luiz is a quality player, and hopefully, his redemption arc can begin tonight with a big win against Fulham.
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