“Carnival time in Brazil” - Douglas Luiz responds to Rio Ferdinand’s cheeky dig after his celebration against Manchester United
Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz responded on X (formerly Twitter) to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand's cheeky dig aimed at the defensive midfielder.
Luiz scored his club's equaliser in the 2-1 defeat to the Red Devils at Villa Park on Sunday (February 11). Following his leveller in the 67th minute, Luiz seemed to pull out a shoulder shimmy in front of opposition goalkeeper Andre Onana.
In response to the Brazilian's celebrations, Ferdinand wrote on X along with laughing and crying emojis:
"U ok @dgoficial."
Luiz responded to the post and said:
"I’m good, thanks. It’s just carnaval time in Brazil."
Luiz's decision to show off his moves in front of the Manchester United goal seemingly backfired. Erik ten Hag's side dug deep and found a late winner through midfielder Scott McTominay (86').
However, Luiz has been impressive this campaign, having scored seven goals and assisted four in 23 Premier League appearances for the Villans. Expect him to start Aston Villa's next league encounter against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday (February 17).
After this match, Manchester United are sixth in the league standings, five points behind Unai Emery's side, who are fifth. The Red Devils will undertake a tricky trip to Luton Town on Sunday (February 18).
Erik ten Hag responds to question about Douglas Luiz's celebration v Manchester United
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag wasn't seemingly bothered about Douglas Luiz's celebration on Sunday night. The Villans have now lost three matches in a row at home across competitions after a strong start to the season.
When asked about Luiz, the Dutch coach said (via GOAL):
"I don’t have an opinion about that. I haven’t spoken to the players. Maybe it's fueling, I don't know. I don’t think it is important. It is about us, we have to think about our game and not the opposition."
The Red Devils must be pleased with striker Rasmus Hojlund's form of late, who managed to score his side's first goal in this game as well. He's now netted in each of his last five league matches after failing to score in 14 appearances.
Ten Hag and Co. also have FA Cup action towards the end of the month when they travel to Nottingham Forest (February 28). Manchester United are out of the UEFA Champions League after finishing last in their group and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the round of 16 stage.