Aston Villa news: Pundit shreds Philippe Coutinho after what he’s just spotted
Frank McAvennie has claimed Aston Villa should never have signed Philippe Coutinho.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former West Ham striker said Coutinho doesn’t seem like the kind of player that will “roll his sleeves up” for the remainder of the season.
The 30-year-old joined Aston Villa permanently last summer from Barcelona.
Coutinho spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Villa Park under Steven Gerrard and they opted to make the deal permanent.
The Brazilian cost the Birmingham club £17million and signed a four-year deal.
The winger has made 20 Premier League appearances for Unai Emery’s side this season but has started just seven of those games.
He has scored just one goal in those outings.
Coutinho also picked up a hamstring injury last month which has further limited his game time in recent weeks.
As relayed by BirminghamLive (9 March), although the playmaker was pictured back at training last week he is still a few weeks away from a return.
McAvennie claimed Coutinho should never have signed in the first place.
“Coutinho and a couple of the older ones should not have been coming in,” he told Football Insider.
“I have been out of football for years but I can see Coutinho is not going to roll his sleeves up for the fight.
“He is not that kind of player and that is sometimes what you need.“
In other news, Aston Villa expert ‘would love to see’ Scottish defender sign after source’s £30m reveal.