Why Man Utd are the perfect opponents for Coutinho's Premier League return
Stefan Bienkowski
- 12 Jan 2022 11:45 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United’s January transfer window isn’t exactly going exactly as the club may have initially planned.
The Old Trafford side have made none of the necessary additions to Ralf Rangnick’s out-of-form squad, wantaway stars like Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani are still at the club and it now seems as though other Premier League sides could be set to pour more misery on the situation.
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On Saturday, Man Utd will once again face an Aston Villa side that really should have knocked them out of the FA Cup on Monday night.
Yet, in this second spar between the two clubs, Steven Gerrard will be able to welcome new signing Philippe Coutinho to his starting XI. And unfortunately for Man Utd, the Brazilian playmaker always seems to relish a game against the Red Devils.
Coutinho’s record against Man Utd
Although Coutinho may now be known as little more than an extremely expensive flop at Barcelona, it’s easy to forget that he was once a tremendous player for Liverpool in the Premier League.
Indeed, over the course of five years at the Anfield side, the Brazil international bagged an impressive 54 goals and 45 assists in 201 games.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 11, 2022
During his time at Liverpool, Coutinho played in no less than nine games against Man Utd in the Premier League and Europa League.
Of those nine games, Coutinho’s side won three, drew four and lost just two - both of which coming in the 2014/15 season. Along the way, the playmaker bagged one goal, which came in the 1-1 draw that secured Liverpool’s route through the Europa League by overcoming their English rivals.
What will perhaps concern Man Utd fans even more is that Coutinho also faced the club twice as a Barca player and helped his side win on both occasions, with a notable goal in the club’s 3-0 win in the 2018/19 quarter finals.
Coutinho’s stock may be an an all-time low, but his record against Man Utd would suggest that facing the Red Devils on Saturday may be exactly what he needs to get back into form in the Premier League.
