Aston Villa ace Philippe Coutinho suffered setback post hamstring tear, out v Liverpool and Brighton – Injury Expert
We’re delighted to welcome injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the injury situation at Aston Villa...
Aston Villa attacker Philippe Coutinho appears to have suffered a Grade 2 hamstring tear and damaged another muscle as he looked to recover.
That’s according to Dr Rajpal Brar who claims that it is not unexpected for players to pick up fresh injuries while rehabilitating from their previous setbacks.
Unai Emery has himself ruled the Brazilian out for the rest of the season, which means that he will not play any part in the games against Liverpool and Brighton.
Speaking about his extended absence, Brar, a doctor in physical therapy and a sports scientist, told Villa News, “Coutinho likely had a hamstring strain based on how he responded and his absence thus far also points to at least a grade 2 hamstring injury. All strains involve some tearing so yes there is a tear.
“He had just returned from an extended hiatus due to a hamstring injury and then picked up a ‘small injury’ according to manager Unai Emery.
“It seems like a damaged muscle as it’s not unexpected to pick up another problem after coming back from a long injury spell because fitness levels take time to adapt.“
The 30-year-old has been a peripheral part of the Villa side since he moved to the club from Barcelona.
This season, he has found game time hard to come by despite being fit for more matches than not.
In the Premier League, he’s just made 20 appearances of which only seven have come from him being in the playing eleven.
He has just found the back of the net once all season and has not even registered a single assist to his name.
In other Aston Villa news, a senior player may never feature for the club again after recent news emerges, making a summer exit very much on the cards.