London — Neymar has revealed that his Brazil teammate, Philippe Coutinho is in a state of “anguish, disappointment and sadness” after being unable to secure a move to Barcelona this summer.
The Liverpool playmaker returned to action in the early hours of Friday morning, scoring in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Ecuador, having recovered from a curious back injury, which has sidelined him throughout Liverpool’s start to the Premier League campaign.
Coutinho came off the bench on the hour-mark in the World Cup qualifier and Neymar — who became the most expensive player in the world with his £198 million switch to Paris Saint-Germain this summer — was happy for the Liverpool man to make a successful comeback following a summer in transfer limbo. “Unfortunately, instead of being a happy time for him (Coutinho), for his family, it’s a moment of anguish, disappointment and sadness,” said Neymar via esporte.
“I like to see him happy because he is a teammate and a friend that I’ve had for a long time. He was rewarded with a goal today, for his and our joy.”
Barcelona had, however, until the end of Friday to seal a last-gasp move for Coutinho, with the Spanish window set to end at 10:59pm.
But with Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp firm in his stance that Coutinho will not leave, as well as the Catalan giants forking out £96m for Ousmane Demebele from Borussia Dortmund, the Brazilian looks set to stay at Anfield.
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Liverpool fans will hope his goal against Ecuador, a clinical side-footed effort from close range, will be the catalyst to drive another successful season on the pitch after such speculation off it. Klopp will keep a keen eye on Coutinho’s involvement in Brazil’s next fixture against Colombia on Tuesday, as he plots his starting XI for when his team returns to Premier League action against Manchester City on September 9. — DailyMail