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‘That’s the effect’: BBC pundit gushes over Aston Villa star’s impact
Leon Osman has hailed the ‘effect’ Philippe Coutinho is having on Aston Villa since his loan transfer from Barcelona after assisting Douglas Luiz at home to Southampton on Saturday, speaking on BBC’s (05/03, 15:53).
Steven Gerrard sought to reunite with Coutinho during the winter window as the Blaugrana targeted the Brazilian’s departure. The Villans eventually agreed terms with his La Liga side for a half-season loan with a buy option.
Coutinho had rarely featured for the Camp Nou outfit this term before leaving Catalunya in January. He had started just five of 12 Spanish top-flight outings for 501-minutes, yet has already eclipsed his minutes in claret-and-blue.
Southampton’s trip to Birmingham was Coutinho’s sixth start in seven Aston Villa games so far. The 29-year-old only played off the bench when making his debut against Manchester United, given his lack of prior action this term.
Coutinho made an instant impact against the Red Devils by scoring Villa’s equaliser. He then fired home and assisted twice against Leeds. But he had gone three games without influencing the scoring before facing the Saints.
His drought came to an end on Saturday, however, after recording an assist and scoring against the Saints. Coutinho fed Luiz on the cusp of half-time to double Aston Villa’s lead before scoring their third against Southampton.
Osman hails Coutinho’s Aston Villa ‘effect’ after assisting Luiz vs Southampton
Osman lauds the effect Coutinho has had at Aston Villa since joining Gerrard’s side in a loan transfer from Barcelona, having fed Luiz for his compatriot to score a rare goal at home to Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
“It looks like Philippe Coutinho is just onside,” Osman . “Once he makes that run, you wonder whether he’s going to try and hit it.
“But he passes it for Douglas Luiz for one of the easiest goals he’s going to score. That’s the effect Coutinho’s having on this Aston Villa team.”
Luiz had not scored a Premier League goal in two-years before facing the Saints. The 23-year-old’s last goal came during his debut campaign at Villa Park in 2019/20. He hit home three after joining for that season.