“I missed the Premier League”: Coutinho after dream Aston Villa debut

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Steven Gerrard hailed Philippe Coutinho’s dream debut for Aston Villa as the Brazil star’s late equaliser capped a thrilling fightback from two goals down against Manchester United in Saturday’s 2-2 draw.

Four years after he last played in the Premier League with Liverpool, Coutinho made an instant impact on his return to England following his loan move from Barcelona this week, reports AFP.

Coutinho came off the bench midway through the second half with Villa trailing 2-0 after Bruno Fernandes’s double for United.

The 29-year-old provided the assist for Jacob Ramsey to give Villa hope with 13 minutes left.

Coutinho then converted Ramsey’s cross five minutes later to ensure Gerrard’s side made amends for their FA Cup third round exit at United on Monday.

It was the perfect way for Coutinho to celebrate a welcome return to the English top-flight four years after leaving Liverpool to join Barca.

“I missed these games and the Premier League. I’m very happy to be here with my new teammates,” Coutinho told Sky Sports.

“It was a good start, we kept believing until the end, but we didn’t lose.”

Asked if he was nervous before making his Villa debut, Coutinho said: “Yes, a little bit, I don’t speak English very well, I prefer to be on the pitch than talking all the time.

“I’m happy, it was the first game and I want to work hard to improve and be in better shape.”

Coutinho has endured a difficult time at Barca and spent 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich, but Gerrard is confident he can bring the forward back to his best after playing with him at Liverpool.

“It was a good start. We’ve brought a quality footballer to the club. We need to get him up to speed in terms of his match sharpness,” Gerrard said.