Steven Gerrard floored by Aston Villa ‘standard-setter’ Philippe Coutinho
Steven Gerrard has gushed over Aston Villa “standard-setter” Philippe Coutinho after he put pen to paper, signing a permanent contract at Villa Park.
After mutliple loan spells, the Brazilian left Barcelona and returned to the Premier League on a four year deal for £17million [Sky Sports].
Having played at the highest level, the Lions boss has urged his players to learn from the “approachable” playmaker.
Gerrard told Express & Star: “Phil’s very approachable. Our office looks down on the gym and the young players are always in his ear. Jacob (Ramsey), Tim (Iroegbunam), Carney (Chukwuemeka), and little young Tommy (O’Reilly).
“I see him and he’s always got time for them all. He’s very approachable, he’s a very humble kid, he wants to help, he wants to provide support. He’s been there himself.
“They should be tapping into his knowledge and his experiences all the time, not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well.
“He’s a standard-setter. He comes in and he’s into his routine. He’s a football man, a family man.
“He’s first on the training pitch, he’s last off, he’s in the gym before training, he’s in the gym after training, his diet is immaculate.
“If you’re a young kid at Aston Villa you should be really tapping into that and really trying to emulate a lot of his habits.”
Class act.
Coutinho is just as brilliant off the pitch as he is on it by the sounds of it.
Given where he has played and how much money he has been on over the last several years – it would be easy to assume the 29-year-old held himself to a higher account than some of his Aston Villa teammates.
The Villans are a very humble club and the Brazil international is used to playing with some of the best players in the world.
To hear how he interacts behind the scenes is a breath of fresh air though. You wouldn’t think he worked that hard considering his massive drop in form since leaving Liverpool but any number of things could have led to that.
For example, his environment. The maestro seemingly loves playing in the Premier League which was very clear as he burst back onto the scene straight away in January.
Hopefully, he can show those levels on a more consistent basis now he is back in his old stomping ground.
In other Aston Villa news, Jurgen Klopp’s reaction to his former player Philippe Coutinho in the Aston Villa tunnel has been caught on camera.