Philippe Coutinho has finally left Liverpool to join Barcelona.
Steven Gerrard will have touched the hearts of Liverpool fans on Instagram on Tuesday morning as he posted a heartfelt message following the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Spanish giants Barcelona.
Coutinho, 25, becomes the second most expensive player in the world behind former Barcelona star Neymar at a fee believed to be around £142million, as he dons the number 14 shirt at the Nou Camp.
Liverpool fans will be gutted to see their midfield maestro leave Anfield, after he scored 54 goals and added 46 assists in 201 appearances for the Merseyside giants during his five-year spell with the club.
Gerrard, who played with Coutinho for two years at Anfield before leaving to join MLS side LA Galaxy, posted on Instagram that “it hurts” before wishing Coutinho “all the best for the next stage of your career”.
It remains to be seen how Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde will use Coutinho in his side, with the playmaker likely to be deployed in one of two ways.
It could be in a front three with Luis Suarez or Lionel Messi, or in a midfield three as Iniesta’s long-term replacement.
It is also unclear as to how Liverpool will spend the money received for Coutinho. They have already splashed out £75million on defender Virgil van Dijk, but now need to re-enter the window to attempt to replace the loss of their Brazilian magician.
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