Pundit Danny Murphy has claimed that Philippe Coutinho would not be welcomed back to Liverpool by the Merseyside club’s supporters.
What’s the word?
Murphy has addressed previous rumours that Coutinho could return to Liverpool having struggled to make his mark since arriving at Barcelona in January 2018.
Indeed, the former Liverpool midfielder told Sportingbet:
“Coutinho would never be welcomed back at Liverpool. It hasn’t worked out for him at Barcelona, but he made his bed by declaring how much he wanted to leave and now he has to sleep in it.
“I think even if Liverpool thought it was something they wanted, the fans would make it perfectly clear it wasn’t acceptable and would force them to pull the plug.
“The fans didn’t necessarily begrudge him his move to Barcelona, but he left himself no way to come back.”
Coutinho arrived at Liverpool from Inter Milan in 2013 and spent five years with the Reds, scoring 54 times in 201 appearances.
The Brazilian pushed for a move to Barcelona in the summer of 2017, before ultimately getting his wish last January as the move was completed.
There is no question that Coutinho was a star at Anfield, but according to Murphy, the Liverpool fans would not be interested in having him back.
Is Murphy right?
It’s a tough one. But he probably is right when considering the finances that would be involved to bring the South American back to the club.
Whilst Coutinho is a talent, Liverpool received £105m up front for the attacker and the deal could eventually rise to £142m.
Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…
Barcelona would expect a fair chunk of that back if they were to sell him, but Coutinho’s performances for the Spanish champions have been disappointing.
A record of 18 goals and 11 assists in 58 appearances for Barcelona is not disastrous, but he has had too many poor games for the club this season.
Liverpool have not exactly been at full flow in recent weeks, but it would still be a huge surprise if they made a move to re-sign the 5ft 8in ace.
