Aston Villa coach Steven Gerrard praised Philippe Coutinho for performing well in his debut match against Manchester United 2-2 in the Premier League.
Coutinho for the first time appearing with Villa. The Brazilian midfielder entered in the middle of the second half in a condition where The Villans trailed 0-2 to Man Utd at Villa Park, Saturday (15/1).
The two goals that brought Man Utd ahead were scored by Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes. He twice found the net for Emiliano Martinez in the sixth and 67th minutes.
A minute after Fernandes’ second goal, Gerrard entered Coutinho to replace Morgan Sanson. The decision proved to be effective because Coutinho was able to be a figure who made the difference.
Coutinho became the ‘brain’ of Jacob Ramsey’s goal which made the score 1-2 in the 77th minute. Five minutes later it was Coutinho’s turn to break into David de Gea’s goal to make the score 2-2 and break Man Utd’s win.
“It was a very strong cameo and definitely not surprising because we know he brings extreme quality,” said Gerrard after the game as reported by Independent.ie.
“[He’s] been involved in both roles, so it’s been a fantastic cameo from Phil and obviously there will be more big moments, I’m sure, going forward,” he continued.
The goal against Man Utd was a great start for Coutinho. The Brazilian player was recruited by Villa from Barcelona on loan until the end of this season with a permanent purchase option.
Aston Villa loanee Philippe Coutinho admits he was nervous when he made his debut which was marked by a goal against Manchester United
“Yes, a little [nervous]. My English is not very good and I prefer to play and be on the pitch and then talk there,” Coutinho said when asked how he felt when he came on to replace Morgan Sanson quoted from Metro.
“So, I’m happy. It was the first game and we kept going. I want to keep working hard to keep improving and get better conditions,” he continued.
Coutinho also admitted that he missed the Premier League. Therefore, the former Liverpool player felt happy to be able to feel the atmosphere of Queen Elizabeth II’s competition with Villa again.
“I miss these games, I miss the Premier League and I’m really happy to be here and getting to know my new team-mates,” he said.
Coutinho has not had a pleasant experience since signing for Barcelona from Liverpool. The 29-year-old did appear for up to 109 games but overall did not live up to expectations and struggled to bear the burden of being a star player at the Blaugrana.
