Do count on Philippe Coutinho because he’s great player, claims Ronald Koeman
Philippe Coutinho signed for Barcelona for £142 million
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Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has revealed that Phillipe Coutinho will get a second chance this season after Lionel Messi left and that he counts on the Brazilian. The attacker signed for the La Liga giants from Liverpool for a £142 million, with add-ons, but has struggled to make an impact.
Phillipe Coutinho is set to stay at Barcelona this season after rumours persisted in the summer of the Brazilian's imminent departure from the Camp Nou for the right price. The departure of Lionel Messi leaves the club short of attackers and Koeman has declared his intentions to keep the Brazilian international for the current campaign. Coutinho who has made 90 appearances for Barcelona so far has scored 23 goals and provided 14 assists.
Furthermore, the Brazilian spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich and returned to Barcelona last term only for his season to be cut short with a knee injury. However, Coutinho who has not featured for Barcelona since the injury last December could be selected for the squad against Getafe next week. That comes after Koeman confessed that he believes the attacker still has a big part to play for Barcelona and added that "he is a great player".
"Philippe is out because I think he needs one more week to train with the group before being called up. I do count on him because he is a great player. He can be important for Barca. He started playing last year, then he had an injury,” Koeman said, reported ESPN.
“I really count on Coutinho for this season. Coutinho can play in various positions. He can play from the left-wing. We have lost goals with Messi and we have to look for them in other players. Philippe is one of them," he added.
