Positioned in a different role, the Brazilian was again outstanding in the win at West Ham and showed why they cannot contemplate selling him this summer
As Philippe Coutinho departed from the pitch on a warm afternoon in east London, his 89th‑minute substitution met by raucous applause by those who filled the away end, he was embraced by Jürgen Klopp. Nothing surprising there given the frequency with which the Liverpool manger hugs his players but this one felt a little different: tighter, longer, stronger. A thank you in physical form and, perhaps even, the warmest of pleas to the Brazilian to stay exactly where he is.
In the past week Coutinho has yet again been linked with a move to Barcelona, despite having signed a new five-year contract with Liverpool in January, with the city’s leading daily newspaper Sport running a front page headline on Tuesday that suggested in unequivocal terms that the player has agreed a €90m move to the Camp Nou in the summer. Liverpool immediately insisted he is not for sale but the rumours refuse to die and will have only grown on the back of how the 24-year-old performed against West Ham United. He was yet again brilliant and the hope for Klopp and everyone at Anfield must be that, having contributed greatly to the club in all but securing a return to the Champions League, Coutinho will deem his immediate future does indeed lie on Merseyside.
Related: Philippe Coutinho strengthens Liverpool’s grip on top four at West Ham
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