Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has endured a tough season thus far in 2017-18, as he’s dealt with both injuries and distractions about his future. He was, arguably, the focus of the summer transfer window’s biggest storyline. The narrative was everywhere and it seemed endless- will Coutinho stay or go to Barcelona?
Barca kept bidding and Liverpool kept rejecting, maintaining that their Brazilian playmaker was simply not for sale.
Coutinho missed the start of the season due to a back injury, and his recent adductor muscle issue led to his missing Liverpool’s last three matches. Across all competitions, he’s made only nine appearances thus far for the Reds.
He’ll be back in action though for his country when they visit Wembley Stadium tomorrow night to take on the national team of the country where his club side is located.
“Unfortunately, I could not play for Liverpool in the past three games because of injury,” Coutinho is quoted by ESPN FC.
“Now I feel 100 percent fit, I have recovered and I am in a good shape to be available for the game against England. I never want to miss any Brazil games. I am honored to wear this shirt whenever I can.”
There have been, of course, reports linking to Barcelona again in January, with claims that the Catalan club will return with a new bid for their coveted target.
“I’m playing in one of the biggest leagues in the world,” Coutinho said about his club future.
“I’m always happy. But now it’s important to concentrate on the national team. At the moment I am very happy with my life,” he continued.
“Every day, I work harder than before to improve myself and become a better all-around footballer.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune corporation blogging community Chicago Now.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube.