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We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton doesn’t see Philippe Coutinho leaving Aston Villa even though Al-Duhail are reportedly closing in on a move for the Brazilian.
Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday (27 August) that the Qatari side are in advanced talks with Coutinho, 31, but are yet to submit a bid to Aston Villa.
However, Coutinho is currently injured with the Villa playmaker breaking down in the 4-0 win over Everton on 20 August.
It remains to be seen when Coutinho will be back in action due to his hamstring issue but it’s likely to be after the upcoming international break.
Even though it could be a short-term injury issue, Hutton doubts that Al-Duhail will want to be signing someone who won’t be available for them immediately.
“Coutinho’s not played a lot of football and he’s injured at this moment in time so for him to leave, I’d be surprised,” Hutton told Villa News.
“I don’t see any team paying a lot of money or shelling out the wages for a player who’s out injured for a few months.
“It’ll be an interesting one to see how it develops. But do you see his future being at Villa? Probably not.
“I do see it away from the football club but who can afford him at this moment in time, or is he willing to take a pay cut to go to play football?
“It’s a difficult decision he’ll have to make.”
In other Aston Villa news, an imminent multi-million exit from Villa Park has caused uproar.