Former Liverpool boss and current Celtic manager Brendan Rodger’s believes Coutinho is the perfect replacement for the ageing Andres Iniesta.
Brendan Rodgers cannot be solely credited with the discovery of Philippe Coutinho. However, had it not been for the Northern Irishman, the Premier League may never have been graced by the Brazilian’s presence and he may have been left to struggle along at Internazionale where it was regarded that he was not big or strong enough.
In 2013 Rodgers signed a 20-year-old Coutinho for a modest sum of £8.5million (BBC).
“I’d seen him play as a young player at Vasco da Gama and, at 18, at Inter Milan in a team with Sneijder and Eto’o and all these types, so you could tell me was a player, he just needed an opportunity,” Rodgers explained in an interview in Dubai reported by The National.
“He came over and was phenomenal, first during my time and he continued with that. It doesn’t surprise me. You couldn’t speak highly enough of Phil, because as a person he’s an incredible guy.”
The current Celtic boss explained that there was no surprise on his part that the Brazilian had finally earned a move to the Nou Camp.
“If he was born to play for any club it was Barcelona,” Rodgers explained.
“He’s different to Neymar, he’s more the Iniesta type. And Obviously Iniesta, at 33, his game-time will probably become more limited.”
The Celtic gaffer raises a good point and, although Barcelona have been looking to fill the void left by Neymar’s world record departure to PSG in the summer, it is replacing cult heroes like Xavi and Iniesta that is the real difficulty.
With Coutinho now on the books, however, Barcelona have every chance of nurturing an undeniably magnificent player that may just mark a spark a new chapter in the wonderful history of the club.
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