Douglas Luiz, a former midfielder for Aston Villa, will have to battle to play for Juventus on a regular basis after not being selected for the starting lineup in the team's opening two Serie A matches.

The 26-year-old paid £42 million to join Juventus, while Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior left in a different deal costing £18.75 million. Luiz came off the bench in the 79th minute to make his debut for the Old Lady in their 3-0 victory against Como earlier this month. It was expected that Luiz would make his first start since the major Villa transfer because Khephren Thuram and Tim Weah were sidelined for their second match against Hellas Verona. However, manager Thiago Motta decided to sideline him once more in favor of starting Nicolo Fagioli in a double pivot alongside Manuel Locatelli, an Italy international. When questioned about Douglas Luiz, Motta responded, "Like all the others, he's an important player."