Philippe Coutinho’s loan spell at Vasco da Gama has not gone to plan after just four games.
There are less than two weeks until the 2024/25 Premier League season commences as Aston Villa prepare for their opener against West Ham.
Unai Emery’s side has seen a lot of change this summer with Monchi making his presence in the transfer market known.
Aside from seven new arrivals, Villa also offloaded several players whether it be on loan or permanently.
Aston Villa loanee Philippe Coutinho suffers injury at Vasco da Gama
One player who arguably should have left Villa on a permanent basis is Philippe Coutinho however, a loan was the favoured option.
The Brazilian joined his boyhood club Vasco da Gama for the season after spending the 2023/24 campaign in Qatar with Al-Duhail.
Being back in his homeland should be a cause for celebration for Coutinho although things have started as desired.
This week, journalist Aline Nastari took to X to report that the Villa forward had left training early due to suffering an injury.
Nastari confirmed that the 32-year-old ‘will be out’ of Vasco’s upcoming fixtures after feeling discomfort, with tests confirming the blow.
The severity of Coutinho’s injury is not yet known however, it’s far from the start the Villa loanee would have wanted having played only four times so far.
There will be hope that the former Liverpool sensation will return to the pitch soon in a bid to continue his homecoming at Vasco.
Coutinho injury reinforces that Villa should have sold
From a Villa point of view, the desired scenario would have been for the Premier League side to oust Coutinho from their squad.
The 32-year-old’s injury only reinforces why Villa should have cut ties with the Brazilian, who is not only injury prone, but is nearing the end of his playing career.
Since leaving Liverpool back in 2018, Coutinho’s career has taken a severe decline, with only Steven Gerrard’s poor transfer decisions keeping the forward’s association with Villa alive.
- READ MORE: Unai Emery struggling to finally ditch high-earning Philippe Coutinho, his ‘quality is gone’
Gerrard tied his former Anfield teammate down to a four year contract back in 2022, handing him a high-paying deal worth £125k-a-week.
Such contract is unable to be honoured by clubs such as Vasco who would have liked to sign Coutinho permanently this summer, telling of where Villa stand with players of his profile.
The Champions League winner’s injury will come as little surprise to those in B6 with there hope that his recent blow is nothing too serious.
