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Philippe Coutinho is a tremendous player, there's no denying that. The Brazilian maestro comes up with the goods nine times out of ten. However, his time at Barcelona should probably come to an end soon. He just isn't getting the support he needs from his manager and he must not let his potential go to waste.
When Barcelona signed Coutinho from Liverpool in 2018, many expected great things. Of course, he was cup-tied from the Champions League at that point, but he still made some good appearances in La Liga last season. This term, he has managed only 17 starts in La Liga, the other 10 coming from the bench, according to WhoScored.
The former Liverpool star should be getting more minutes on the board, that's for sure. It was reported earlier in the week that Barcelona had offered Coutinho for a transfer to Manchester United. This tells Coutinho all he needs to know about the club's stance. If the club can survive without the player, then surely the player can survive without the club.
Anyway, here are five reasons why Philippe Coutinho should be looking to move away from Barcelona this summer.
#1 Manchester United is a worthy suitor for many reasons
It remains to be seen whether the reports linking Manchester United with Coutinho are true or not. However, one thing's for sure, United would be missing out on a star if they were to turn down Barcelona's offer.
Such a move would benefit all parties. Coutinho would undeniably get more game time than the one he is getting with Barcelona. Manchester United would be getting one over on Liverpool, and Barcelona would have one less problem to deal with.
Manchester United stands on a good front currently. Ole Gunnar Solskjær is at the helm and he is doing well with his position. He is playing an attacking style of football, which is obviously going to favor someone of Coutinho's exploits. Coutinho is an attacking player who loves to create, take on his opponents and even take shots on himself.
Moving from providing Luis Suarez to providing for Romelu Lukaku will take some getting used to, that's for sure. However, with patience comes great rewards, Coutinho must bear this in mind.
#2 The competition is hot enough at Barcelona
Barcelona isn't an easy side to get into. They have the most prestigious attack force in Europe right now, consisting of both Lionel Messi and Philippe Coutinho. While Coutinho is the best choice to coincide with these two, Ernesto Valverde likes to experiment with his team too much and unfortunately for Coutinho, it's often him on the receiving end of said experiments.
If you're a player struggling to pick up consistent game time, then Barcelona isn't the place to be. Especially given the fact that they will probably upgrade their attack force in the summer in order to keep up with Real Madrid's positive changes of late.
Essentially, Coutinho could easily be the number one choice with Barcelona. However, he is already running the risk under Ernesto Valverde, so he cannot afford to play roulette with his career.
#3 It's time for Philippe Coutinho to swallow his pride
A move away from Barcelona would not reflect in Coutinho giving up. In fact, it would mean quite the opposite. He could easily stay with Barcelona and feel comfortable on his luxurious wages and sunny weather, however, would it be the right career move? Probably not.
The right career move would be to start again elsewhere. If that club is Manchester United, then so be it. At least he would be part of an exciting venture back to the top end of European football, a situation which definitely brought out the best in him with Liverpool.
There will always be haters. No matter what Coutinho chooses to do, he will be shunned upon by fans and the media. However, in my opinion, he would be setting an example to all footballers if he gave up his situation with Barcelona to start fresh.
