Speaking exclusively to This Is Futbol, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has highlighted Douglas Luiz’s need for time to settle when he first arrived at Villa Park amid Morgan Sanson’s struggles.
Starts have been hard to come by for Sanson since his move to the Midlands club from Marseille in January and, according to Football Insider, those who sanctioned the deal are now having regrets.
Hendrie, however, is not too sure about writing off a player so early into his Villa career, using Luiz as an example.
In his early days at the club, the Brazilian, who joined from Manchester City, struggled for consistency, becoming a player manager Dean Smith would use off the bench or not call upon at all.
Luiz, though, is now a mainstay in the Villa XI, making him a good example of why signings need to be given time in Hendrie’s eyes. On the Brazil international and the situation with 26-year-old Sanson, the retired Premier League footballer said in an exclusive interview with TIF:
“Douglas Luiz, everyone expected him to really be this big player. He was talked highly of by [Pep] Guardiola, what a player he was, and he came in and he didn’t really get going straight away. So you’ve got to sometimes give players a little bit of time, but as fans and media viewers, you know, we judge on what we see.”
With still quite a few games left to play in the Premier League this season, Sanson still has time to make an impact before the 2020/21 campaign concludes.