Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz were in action against each other in an international friendly amid their Aston Villa transfer saga.
The summer has started early for Aston Villa, as Unai Emery and Monchi prepare to conduct their first piece of business at Villa Park.
Talk of transfers has been dominated by Douglas Luiz’s pending move to Juventus, as the Brazilian looks set to depart in a bid to ease Villa’s PSR concerns.
The deal will see Samuel Iling-Junior and Weston McKennie arrive in B6, making last night’s game between Brazil and the United States an interesting affair.
How Douglas Luiz and Weston McKennie performed in Brazil vs USA friendly
While McKennie completed 90 minutes for the United States during the 1-1 draw, Luiz came on at half-time for Brazil.
That being said, the Villa midfielder had a far greater impact during his time on the pitch, making more touches on the ball and completing more passes than McKennie in half the time, as seen below.
The media widely covered the game, which was the last friendly for the two nations ahead of the Copa America, a well-contested fixture that ended in a draw.
The disheartening reality of the feedback was that Luiz shone and McKennie was largely absent, with the Brazilian’s cameo lauded as ‘clean’ on GOAL’s player ratings.
ESPN handed McKennie a 3/10 match rating, describing the midfielder as being ‘invisible’ during the game, a similar narrative to NBC, who claimed the 25-year-old ‘lacked sharpness’.
It was a good opportunity for Villa fans to evaluate the upcoming transfer although, it may have left many sceptical over McKennie’s suitability to replace Luiz.
Aston Villa will find it difficult to replace Luiz
Given Luiz’s technical ability, it will be difficult to envisage a single player considered capable of replacing his presence in Emery’s starting XI.
His cameo against the USA only reinforced what Villa will be missing next season, with talks with Juventus accelerating ahead of the scramble for June 30th concerning PSR.
As seen through the pair’s numbers, it wasn’t all bad news for McKennie, who has the capability to improve under Emery although, there is an indication that the former Leeds United flop is far from Luiz’s calibre.
Until the deal is confirmed, Villa fans will appreciate the magic of Luiz, who showcased his dazzling best in the engine room for his country last night.
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