Douglas Luiz has hit back at criticism he has faced after a nightmare first year at Juventus.
Luiz, 26, moved to the Italian giants last summer, joining from Aston Villa for £42.4 million having emerged as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
However, the Brazilian – whose partner Alisha Lehmann joined Juventus’ Women’s team at the same time – has endured a disastrous campaign, playing just 23 times in all competitions.
Luiz has made three starts in Serie A and his progress has been hampered by a string of niggling injuries, which has seen him labelled as a Juventus flop.
The midfielder was linked with a move away in January, but stayed put, although his future heading into the summer window remains uncertain.
However, Luiz robustly defended his position when coming under fire from one fan on social media.
Douglas Luiz has hit back at criticism he has faced after a nightmare first year at Juventus
Luiz has struggled for form and fitness since joining the Italian giants from Aston Villa last year
Luiz joined Juventus alongside partner Alisha Lehmann, dubbed the world’s sexiest footballer
On a recent Instagram post, they replied to Luiz and questioned him on whether he had moved to Italy to post on Instagram or to play.
‘I didn’t come here just to post photos,’ Luiz fired back. ‘No one else did that, and I want things to be different. I came here with a purpose. I listened to my heart when I arrived and decided to sign.
‘Now I want you to answer me: why hasn’t a signing like mine played two consecutive games with this shirt?
‘You can say what you want to the press later: “Oh, Douglas is not fit.” Am I not fit? I did all the pre-season and played every game. I had just had one of the best seasons of my career, one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.’
Luiz did go onto reflect on his injury issues in the lengthy reply, before he reaffirmed his commitment to Juventus.
‘Injuries have hindered me, yes,’ he added. ‘But how long did I remain on the bench while I was healthy? A lot. These injuries were not normal.
‘I have never been a player who gets injured, but there are so many things that could have caused this that I would rather not comment on.
‘I will continue to do everything for this club, even if sometimes it is difficult, it is not easy, but you can count on me!’
Luiz fired back at a fan after he was questioned on whether he came to Italy to play football
Luiz’s partner Lehmann has also endured an indifferent first season since moving to Italy
Lehmann had sparked criticism for her role in Juventus’ Serie A title-winning celebrations
Luiz’s difficult first season at Juventus has been mirrored by his partner Lehmann, dubbed the ‘world’s sexiest footballer’.
Lehmann, whose move alongside Luiz was the first ‘couples transfer’ of that kind, has seen her campaign also disrupted by fitness issues.
She was then lambasted last week for her alleged over-the-top celebrations after Juventus beat AC Milan to win the Serie A title, given she has played just 37 minutes this year.
Following their triumph, the jubilant Juventus players were quick to revel in their achievement, dancing on the field in formation.
But Lehmann appeared to be leading the dance at the front on her own, with her team-mates lined up behind her, and this appeared to touch a nerve with some supporters, who argued she had a minimal role in the actual campaign.
The Swiss international only played eight minutes of the title-clinching win, her first league outing since a nine-minute cameo again against AC Milan on February 9.
In fact, Lehmann has only played 37 minutes since the turn of the year, and is yet to feature for 90 minutes since a clash with Sassuolo back in November.
To date, that is also the only time she played a full 90 minutes since joining from Villa, with the Swiss attacking midfielder having struggled to break into the first team.
Lehmann (No 7) was front and centre of the title celebrations despite her peripheral role
The Switzerland international has struggled to break into the first team since joining Juventus
From five starts and 15 overall appearances in the league, she has scored twice, and is yet to pick up a first assist of the season, meaning some fans seemed to feel like she should not be taking a leading role in the celebrations.
‘Why is Alisha at the front?’ asked one fan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘She’s only scored two goals in 17 games ffs where’s Girelli? The actual star player.’
Cristiana Girelli, Juventus’ 34-year-old star striker, has bagged a sensational 19 goals in 23 appearances this season, including the two that decided the title against AC Milan.
One of her country’s finest ever players, Girelli has played 99 times for Italy, scoring 51 times in the process.
‘For no reason and unnecessarily, Alisha Lehmann always want to be on the spotlight,’ another supporter wrote.
Lehmann, who used to play for Villa, West Ham, and Everton in the Women’s Super League, has been back in England recently as a coach in the new Baller League alongside Maya Jama.
The six-a-side tournament, packed with former footballers and social media stars, is on Sky Sports and YouTube every Monday until early June.
