John McGinn: Aston Villa squad ‘star-struck’ by Philippe Coutinho
John McGinn admits he and his Aston Villa teammates have been blown away by Philippe Coutinho in his time at Bodymoor Heath.
Coutinho, 29, joined the Villans on loan from Barcelona in the January transfer window.
The former Liverpool playmaker, who played alongside Villa boss Steven Gerrard at Anfield, has clearly made his mark upon the squad with McGinn waxing lyrical about him to the national media.
“We’ve been star-struck, he’s brilliant, a breath of fresh air, not only for players like me but for younger players in the dressing room. He’s so humble, he doesn’t treat anyone any differently,” McGinn told Sky Sports, as quoted by the Birmingham Mail.
“He doesn’t think he is above anyone and what a player he is. He’s so talented and I think we can all agree that he is a top, top player and he could play for most teams in this league.”
Got to sign him
Villa cannot afford to let the chance to sign Coutinho fall through their grip when the summer transfer window comes around.
While Gerrard’s men have been in poor form in the last few weeks, losing four consecutive Premier League matches, Coutinho is someone who’s held his head above the water in that time.
The Brazilian international looks like a player who’s not on the same wavelength as most of his teammates. And that’s not a criticism of Coutinho, it’s a criticism of the other players in Gerrard’s squad.
They’re simply not on the same level as the former Liverpool star – they need to be upgraded upon.
Coutinho is used to playing with Luis Suarez, Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Neymar and Lionel Messi.
He’s not used to the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings (no disrespect intended).
Coutinho was a massive signing for Aston Villa but Gerrard needs other massive signings to be able to compliment the Brazilian.
Otherwise, he’s just a big fish in a small pond and when that’s the case, there are always limitations as to how fast they can swim.
In other Aston Villa news, the club is in pursuit of Borussia Monchengladbach’s Matthias Ginter.