What a brilliant last week it has been for Aston Villa new boy Philippe Coutinho.
The Barcelona-owned maestro sealed a stunning return to the Premier League by joining Aston Villa on loan – and in turn, reuniting with former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard.
And without even kicking a ball, the 29-year-old has also been recalled to Brazil’s national team for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay.
All in all, it hasn’t been a bad start to 2022 for the Villan, who left Liverpool in a £142 million deal four years ago.
Coutinho is evidently popular even among rival supporters, because here’s how some of them reacted to his return to the announcement that he’s back in the international fold:
Debut looming?
Aston Villa are back in action with a visit of Manchester United to the Midlands on Saturday evening.
And it’ll be fascinating to see whether Gerrard unleashes the South American sensation.
Gerrard’s outfit lost to the Red Devils already this week, going down 1-0 in an FA Cup third-round encounter at Old Trafford on Monday.
Coutinho was not included in the squad for that occasion and although a lack of fitness may not allow him to make the starting lineup on Saturday, he could potentially still feature nonetheless.
During his previous spell at Liverpool, the former Red clocked 152 Premier League appearances, scoring 41 goals and setting up another 35.
This isn’t a player who Ralf Rangnick wants to see in Gerrard’s first XI because simply put, his experience, combined with his ability, could possibly make him a nightmare for United.
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