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Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has lauded his former teammate Philippe Coutinho for his impressive debut for Aston Villa against Manchester United on Saturday. The former Liverpool attacking midfielder came off the bench to score the equalizer in an entertaining 2-2 draw against Ralf Rangnick’s side.
Philippe Coutinho, who was at Liverpool between 2013 and 2018, has joined Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa on loan from parent club FC Barcelona. The Brazilian midfielder was an excellent number 10 for the Reds but failed to replicate his heroics at Barcelona. Having failed to ship him off permanently, Barcelona have had to settle for a loan deal to Villa for the time being.
Under Gerrard, Coutinho has the opportunity to play in his preferred position and hopefully rediscover his best self in the Premier League. His 22-minute decisive cameo against the Red Devils impressed several people, including former teammate Mo Salah.
Under Coutinho’s appreciation post for Aston Villa fans, Salah commented with three emojis: raising hands, clapping hands, and a flame. It is safe to say Salah has been left mighty impressed with Coutinho’s efforts against the Reds’ arch-rivals Manchester United.
Salah and Coutinho shared the dressing room for only a brief while in 2017, but their communication on the pitch was commendable. If Coutinho can eventually rediscover his best form under the tutelage of Gerrard, a reunion in the future could very well be on the cards.
Manchester United fall further behind Liverpool and Manchester City in Premier League
At one point on Saturday, Manchester United looked on track for a comfortable 2-0 win over Aston Villa. Unfortunately, two late goals from Jacob Ramsey and Philippe Coutinho condemned them to a disappointing draw. There were some positives to take away from United’s draw, but the outcome of the match hurt the visitors badly.
After 20 Premier League matches, Manchester United have picked up only 32 points. Their disappointing haul has left them in the seventh position, 24 points adrift of defending champions Manchester City. Rangnick’s side return to the English top-flight with a trip to Brentford on Wednesday night.
