‘Do the deal’: Rio Ferdinand says Aston Villa should sign 29-year-old even if he’s not at his best

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand has been discussing Philippe Coutinho after his move to Aston Villa on loan.

The Brazilian midfielder has joined the Villans on a loan deal until the end of the season, and they have an option to buy him at the end of the season.

Villa’s decision on signing Coutinho will undoubtedly hinge on his performances between now and the end of the season, and Ferdinand believes that Villa should sign him even if he’s only 70 per cent as good as he once was.

What’s Ferdinand said about Coutinho?

The Manchester United legend gave his view on Coutinho.

“If they get a Coutinho who is 70 per cent as good as he was at Liverpool then at 40 million you do the deal now. He just needs to be 70 per cent of the player he was,” Ferdinand said.

Got to prove himself

It’s all well and good for Ferdinand to say that Coutinho has to be at 70 per cent in order to earn a move to Villa, but in recent years, he’s not even played to that standard.

At Bayern Munich he was probably around that level, but whenever he’s turned out for Barcelona, he’s looked a shell of his former self.

However, now that he’s back in a league that he knows well under a manager who trusts him, there’s every reason to believe that he could once again become a star.