Liverpool’s midfield magician Philippe Coutinho is not looking to leave Liverpool according to the player’s close friend, Rodney Goncalves who was also his youth coach during his playing days at Vasco da Gama.
The 24-year old has been sensational for Liverpool in the Premier League this season, putting in man of the match performances and also scoring goals regularly for the club. His excellent form has also seen him being linked with Spanish giants FC Barcelona in the last few weeks. But Goncalves believes that Coutinho has his mind set on staying at Liverpool and winning trophies.
Also read: EPL 2016/17: No buy out clause in Coutinho's contract will make it difficult for Barcelona to sign him
"Whenever we speak he always says that is very happy at Liverpool and his biggest challenge is to win the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool," Goncalves told the Telegraph.
Coutinho, who is with the Brazil national squad for the World Cup qualifier against Argentina which was held on Thursday, helped his team to a 3-0 win against their neighbouring country. The Brazilian also scored a spectacular long-range goal for his country in the first half of the game. Coutinho has been exceptional for the national team having scored five goals in 10 games this year for Brazil. Even his friend Goncalves believes that the youngster will be a regular starter for the Brazil national football team.
"He knows that if he continues to give great performances for Liverpool, he will always be selected for Brazil."
At the same time, he also stated that Coutinho has his own style and is already popular in Brazil and will soon be recognised all over the world just like Neymar Jr. Goncalves also said that Coutinho is capable of handling any kind of pressure as he plays for one of the biggest clubs in the toughest league in the world.
"Coutinho can be compared to Neymar, but Coutinho is Coutinho," he said. "He can become very popular in Brazil and around the world like Neymar, he just needs to get a sequence of games in the Brazilian squad.
"There is pressure on him, but it is not a problem. He plays at a big club and plays in the most important league in the world," he went on to add.
The 24-year-old Brazilian who is nicknamed “The Magician” by his fans at Liverpool has played a vital role in the Reds being on top of the Premier League so far this season. The midfielder has formed a deadly partnership with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane for the Reds who have already scored 30 goals in the league. The Brazilian could also be in contention to start for his national side when they take on Peru this coming Wednesday.
(Video courtesy: RFLCOMPS YouTube channel)
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