Former Liverpool Captain, Steven Gerrard, has expressed his excitement over Phillippe Coutinho’s decision to sign a new five-year deal at Anfield on Wednesday.
He said Coutinho has a significant part to play in the future of the club.
The 24-year-old will become the club’s highest-earning player, with his new contract keeping at the club until the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Coutinho has scored 34 goals in 163 appearances for Liverpool.
Gerrard is also relishing his new role at Liverpool as a youth coach.
He played with Coutinho for two-and-a-half seasons after the Brazilian’s £8.5 million move to Liverpool from Inter Milan in 2013, and witnessed his development firsthand.
Speaking of his former team mate, he said:
“I think for any team, you’ve already got to try and keep your best players.
“I’ve trained against him on a daily basis and I’ve played with, and he’s a phenomenal footballer.
“He can do magical things with the ball and he’s the type of footballer you want to try and build your team around.
“And if Liverpool are to be successful in the coming years, I’m sure he’ll have a part to play in it—he’s a magical player,” Gerrard stressed.
