Rodgers has high hopes for recruit Coutinho
442 Staff - Monday 18 February 2013, 13:18
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says he has high hopes for recent acquisition Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian midfielder joined the Reds from Italian giants Inter Milan in January and impressed on his full debut for the Anfield club, scoring in a 5-0 win over Swansea City.
"Coutinho is a really talented player. He's only 20 but he's had good experience of playing at the highest level," Northern Irishman Rodgers said in his post-match press conference.
Rodgers warned Liverpool fans not to expect too much, too soon from the £8.5 million signing. The Samba starlet showed early promise at Inter but failed to nail down a regular starting spot at San Siro and was later loaned to Espanyol to gain experience.
"He'll take a wee bit of time to adapt to the whole tempo of the English game. He's come from Italy where the game is a little slower but he's a wonderful technician," said Rodgers.
"He's the type of player that we are trying to bring in here - a technician who has a strong character and good mentality. I'm sure he'll progress very well."
By Josh Ilan