The Brazilian midfielder, Philippe Coutinho has signed a new contract with his club, Liverpool FC, extending his contract with the club from 2018 to 2020.
Just 22 years old, he arrived from Inter Milan in a 8.5m pounds deal back in January 2013. All in all, the young lad has played 85 games for the club and scored 10 times.
“I’m really happy. It’s a dream come true playing for this great club and being part of this squad”, he says. “Today I’ve committed my future to the club and for this I’m feeling very pleased. This club is great and the fans have always supported me, so I’ve been eager to sign this new deal since conversations started. Today is a very happy day.”
He has been an essential part of the Liverpool squad in recent times and had shown his flair quite early in his career. His club’s manager, Brendan Rodgers, acknowledges the same and believes he might become world class if his striking skills are refined. “You see his quality in his two assists at the weekend,” said Rodgers. ‘They were sublime. The first pass was incredible invention. Modric doesn’t have a big goal-scoring record but he is a world class player. He is a continuity player who takes the ball in the middle of the field, can make the passes, serves the ball from behind and gets the odd goal from outside the box. He opens the door for the team in the center of midfield. Toni Kroos is another of that type. If he can improve his goal-scoring, Coutinho will be getting into the bracket of being world-class.”
He also says, “He is the type of player who is creative and looks for the last pass but for that you need the movement in front of the ball and people to penetrate in behind. At the beginning of the season we did not quite have that in the team so he was having longer on the ball and maybe getting caught on it more.”
His impressive form in recent weeks has seen him receive appreciation for his play, winning the Liverpool’s player of the month for December. The club hopes to see the same for years to come.
