The Portuguese manager reaffirmed his belief that Luiz will go on to be one of the greatest central-defenders in the world, but must be allowed some time to fully adapt to the rigors and demands of the Premier League.
“I saw him in Portugal for one and a half seasons, and now I have the privilege of working with him.
“He’s going to be one of the greatest central defenders in the world. Why? Because of his characteristics: technical ability, anticipation and speed.
“There is a nature in a Premier League game that you have to adapt to, it’s culturally different to other countries. That might be a massive shock, to come from Portugal to England, but you’ve seen people succeed doing that, including Ricardo Carvalho. David will be the same.
“He does not have anything to prove and doesn’t deserve some of the criticism he has received.”
One of the most publicised criticisms of David Luiz this season came from former-Manchester United full-back and now TV analyst, Gary Neville. Neville described Luiz’s performance as being as if ‘he was controlled by a 10-year-old in the stand with a Playstation controller.’
The comment drew the ire of manager Villas-Boas, but Luiz is far more laid-back on the matter:
“I don’t feel anything about it,” he says. “I just laugh about it – because I am a very simple and laid-back guy. I also made sure that I replied to Gary Neville through Twitter and I told him that I loved him. It’s normal.
“He was an excellent player who played for many, many years for Man United. Any player needs to be prepared to face this sort of criticism, because if you are not, then don’t play football, play something else, or just stay at home and play on the PlayStation!”
