What Philippe Coutinho Did For Brendan Rodgers After Completing Barcelona Transfer

Brendan Rodgers has revealed he got a text message from Philippe Coutinho after he completed his £142 million transfer to Barcelona.

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The ex-Liverpool boss drafted in the Brazilian from Inter Milan in 2013, for a measly £8.5 million.

He's since developed into a world class player, while churning out impressive performances under the watchful eye of Rodgers between 2013 and 2015, before Rodgers was dismissed as Liverpool manager.

And after completing the long-awaited deal to Barcelona, Coutinho sent his former manager a text message.

"He sent me a nice text the other day when he was arriving in Barcelona. He is a great young guy, he was never a moment's problem for me. He was a magical player to work with," Rodgers said.

_{Rodgers speaks to Coutinho. Image: PA}

The current Celtic boss believes Coutinho is perfectly suited for Barcelona's style of play.

"It's brilliant for both as he is a Barcelona player if ever there was one.

_{Coutinho during his early days as a Liverpool player. Image: PA}

Rodgers' decision to sign Coutinho was questioned, with critics concerned over his physique ahead of his Anfield switch.

"At the time when I brought him, he wasn't in the team at Inter Milan. People questioned whether he was big enough and tall enough.

"But I'd seen him as a young player at 18 at Inter Milan around top players and I always felt he had the technical quality. And, of course, he was always going to get better physically.

_{Coutinho unveiled as a Barcelona player. Image: PA}

Rodgers added: "We kept in contact ever since we left. Before he came over to Liverpool, he was low in confidence.

"I believed in his ability. It was clear what he was. If you see him play now, he played like that when he was an 11 year old child, if you see videos of him playing Futsal.

"He was exactly the same. But he needed that belief. He came in and developed and improved. He was outstanding for me and a real humble boy."

Barcelona fans will have to wait a little while to see their latest addition in action, though, as Coutinho is sidelined with a thigh injury and is expected to return in 'around 3 weeks'.

Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Football, Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho, Premier League, Brendan Rodgers, La Liga

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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