Philippe Coutinho Manchester United update.
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has offered an update on Philippe Coutinho, ahead of the club’s Premier League meeting with Man United on Saturday evening.
Coutinho arrived in Birmingham earlier this week, after completing a deal which sees him join Villa on loan from FC Barcelona until the end of the season.
Steven Gerrard on Philippe Coutinho fitness.
However, fans of the Midlands outfit will need to wait a bit longer to watch the Brazilian in action, with Gerrard confirming on Friday that he won’t be ready for the Man United game.
“He’s not match-fit,” the manager said of his former Liverpool teammate.
“Over at Barcelona, he’s been doing a lot of individual training, he’s been doing training in small groups and also, he had a Covid situation as well.
? "He's not match fit. At the right time he'll be unleashed."
Steven Gerrard confirms Philippe Coutinho is unlikely to feature this weekend against Man United pic.twitter.com/oNgJfjxWUm
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 14, 2022
“Coutinho will be unleashed at the right time.”
Gerrard went on to speak about the excitement at the club since Coutinho’s arrival, highlighting how he still sees the fantastic player with whom she shared an Anfield dressing room for two-and-a-half-years.
“He’s trained fully for the last couple of days, there’s still a fantastic player there for sure,” said Gerrard, with a knowing smile.
“There’s a lot of excitement within the building as well as outside, we really appreciate that but it’s great to have him. He’s been smiling away for a few days, it’s my job to get him settled in as quickly as possible, get him enjoying his football again.
“I’m sure we’ll see a lot left in this boy because, for me, he’s a fantastic talent, we’re lucky to have him and at the right time, he’ll be unleashed.
Welcome, Philippe Coutinho! ?
Aston Villa and FC Barcelona have agreed terms for Philippe Coutinho to spend the rest of this season on loan at Villa Park. ??
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 7, 2022
Gerrard and Coutinho relationship.
Gerrard first saw Coutinho at close quarters when the attacking midfielder moved to Liverpool from Inter Milan in January 2013.
The pair would go on to play 81 times together under the management of Brendan Rodgers before Gerrard left the club in 2015.
The closest they came to winning silverware together came in 2013/14, when Liverpool collapsed towards the end of a Premier League title race that it looked like they were going to win.
Following Gerrard’s departure, Coutinho came in to his own as part a reformed attacking unit under new manager Jurgen Klopp, before leaving the club for Barcelona for a reported £105 million in January 2018.
Liverpool haven’t looked back since, racking up Premier League and Champions League honours, but the player has had contrasting fortunes and never really set the world alight at the Nou Camp.
Aston Villa v Man United.
A loan to Bayern Munich did see Coutinho pick up a Champions League winner’s medal of his own in 2019/20 but it’s fair to say that he is now back in the country where he has played his best football.
Aston Villa v Man United kicks off at 5.30pm on Saturday and you can get all of the Red Devils team news here.
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