Chelsea’s Luiz likes to joke but he’s a serious professional, says Benítez

Rafael Benítez has described David Luiz as a “serious professional” following the controversy surrounding the Chelsea defender after Sunday’s win at Manchester United.

The 26-year-old made headlines after he was pictured smirking on the floor following Rafael da Silva’s foul on the Chelsea defender late on in the 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, moments before the United player was sent off.

But Benítez insists that there are no question marks over Luiz’s attitude and believes he is one of the Premier League’s top talents.

“He is a person that likes to enjoy life,” said Benítez. “He is a very good professional working very hard but he likes to joke because he is a funny person.

“He is very serious and professional and concentrated on his job. He has a good character and mentality to improve and play well. He knows what I want, what we are trying to do, and he is trying to do this in every training session.

“He can do a lot of things, almost everything, really well, better than the majority of players. He is still young and keen to learn, so I think he will be even better.

“He has a lot of positives, a lot of good things, and has improved a lot. He is more mature and will [continue to] improve.”