Aston Villa travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon and Douglas Luiz appears to be chomping at the bit to return if his Instagram story is anything to go by.

The 23-year-old has missed Villa’s last three Premier League games with a thigh injury, but pictures posted to social media suggest he’ll be back in time for the weekend clash.

Luiz has made eight league appearances this season, notching two assists. His last outing in a Villa shirt came in their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on October 22. The Brazilian missed Villa’s 4-1 defeat to West Ham United (October 31), 1-0 defeat to Southampton (November 5) and 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion (November 20) but could start against Palace if his fitness allows him to.

Steven Gerrard got his managerial stint at Villa off to a winning start against Brighton with Marvelous Nakamba alongside John McGinn in midfield, but he has a decision to make on who to start against the Eagles. Luiz is a regular when fit, so time will tell if he comes back in.

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