Ah , I found this...
While Douglas has played in Europe for the past two seasons, in Spain with City’s feeder club Girona, the requirements to play in England for non EU nationals are slightly stricter.
If Douglas was playing in the Brazil national team he would find a work permit to play in England incredibly easy to come by.
Thats due to the fact that eligibility to play in England now depends on FIFAs ranking system. Players from nations inside FIFAs top 10 – which Brazil are – need to have played in 30 percent of international fixtures in the last two years to be guaranteed a work permit.
Douglas is uncapped at senior international level but thats unlikely to be an issue with a number of Brazilians having already played in this country without experience in the national team.
There is an Exceptions Panel which can grant a work permit to a player provided the buying club can demonstrate his experience and value to their cause.
Man City, who boast midfield stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho and Bernardo Silva, understandably found it difficult to provide the panel with proof of Douglas’ importance at The Etihad.
But Douglas will be a regular pick for head coach Dean Smith at Villa Park, just as he was during his two seasons at Girona.
Provided there are no major hiccups, Douglas will meet up with his new teammates for pre-season training in the US and become Villas second samba star after compatriot Wesley.