The Brazilian has barely done anything to even begin justifying his colossal price tag but he may yet have a future at Camp Nou.
Philippe Coutinho has been offered a redemption chance at Barcelona as Ronald Koeman is “really counting” on the player this season.
Coutinho last featured for Barcelona back in December, with a knee injury forcing a premature end to the 2020-21 season for him.
In fact, he has made just 90 appearances for the Catalan club in total. The attacking midfielder has spent a considerable amount of time on the bench, on the treatment table, or out on loan ever since arriving on a €160 million move from Liverpool in 2018.
The 29-year-old was reportedly one of several players Barca were looking to offload this summer, but it appears there has been a change of plans in the wake of Lionel Messi‘s departure.
“Philippe is out because I think he needs one more week to train with the group before being called up,” Koeman said in his pre-match press conference ahead of Barcelona’s meeting with Athletic Club on Saturday.
“I do choose to go with him because he is a great player. He can be important for Barca.
“He started playing last year, then he had an injury. I really count on Coutinho for this season. He can play in various positions, he can play from the left wing.
“We have lost goals with Messi and we have to look for them in other players. Philippe is one of them.”
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