Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his surprise that Philippe Coutinho struggled to replicate his Liverpool form at Barcelona.
The Brazilian playmaker was brought to Liverpool by Brendan Rodgers from Inter Milan for £8.5m in January 2013, and went on to become a huge hit at Anfield.
Coutinho produced a number of standout performances in both the Premier League and Champions League during his time on Merseyside.
However, he left Liverpool for Barcelona in a club-record deal five-years after arriving at Anfield, but endured a difficult time in Spain as he struggled to recreate his Liverpool form.
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The Spanish giants tried to sell the 29-year-old in the summer of 2019 but were unable to find a buyer and he ended up spending the season on loan at Bayern Munich.
Given a second chance at Camp Nou by Ronald Koeman last summer, Coutinho started the season well, but spent the second half of the campaign sidelined through injury.
And after making just two La Liga appearances so far this season, Coutinho this week joined Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season, and Rodgers believes the midfielder will return to his best under Steven Gerrard’s guidance.
“An amazing player and a great guy,” the Leicester City boss said on the Brazilian's return to the Premier League.
“When we brought him in at 19, I’d seen him as a young player and we hoped to get him to Chelsea, but he’d already agreed to go to Inter Milan.
“We were then able to bring him in at 19. I think at the time people thought that there was a question mark about his physicality.
"But he proved in his time at Liverpool and his development what a fantastic player he was. A very humble guy.
“I have to say I was very surprised it didn’t work out for him at Barcelona because if there was a player and club aligned it was maybe those two.
“But maybe if the environment is not quite right, for whatever reason, and Philippe is a player that is all about the environment.
“If he feels that love and that responsibility then he will thrive. I’m sure he will do really well for Steven, and like I said he needs to get back playing again regularly.
“He has shown in the Premier League he is a top player and he will look to return to that level.”
