Douglas Luiz is back at Juventus, and this time, it looks like he’ll stick around.

During his half-season loan spell back at Aston Villa earlier in the year, the Brazilian showcased why the Old Lady shell out north of €50 million for him two summers ago. However, they were only looking temporary reinforcement in place of their injured players and did not sign him back permanently.

Upon his return to Turin, Luiz has found circumstances markedly different to the ones that made him a pariah at the club. His ostracism came about during Thiago Motta’s ill-fated term at the club, while Igor Tudor never really took an interest in him. And while Luciano Spalletti did like his profile and what he brought to the table, he never really got the chance.

Until now. Luiz has featured consistently throughout pre-season, having been appreciated by Spalletti and Juve faithful alike. Spalletti likes his ability to dictate the tempo of the game at will, and in his preferred 4-2-3-1 setup Luiz is seemingly fitting in nicely.

Given Khéphren Thuram’s persistent knee struggles, he could end up being relied upon even more, and is currently, arguably, one of the first names on the team sheet as Juve prepare to kick off their Serie A campaign against Frosinone this Sunday.

Douglas Luiz is contracted to remain at Allianz Stadium until June 2029. Despite having spent two seasons on their books with one foot out the door, the time seems to have finally arrived for him to make his mark with the Bianconeri. The right ingredients that had been missing for him here seem to have found their way to him, and, looking to prove all his doubters wrong this coming season, he could hardly have asked for better foundations after the couple of seasons he has had.