COUTINHO’S KEY ROLE IN KOP TITLE PUSH

Brendan rodgers is right. Philippe Coutinho was a wonderful player for Liverpool. It didn’t work for him at Barcelona, and again on loan at Bayern Munich, and Liverpool thrived with a different system in his absence — but that shouldn’t negate his qualities.

This happened when Michael owen left, too. He departed for real Madrid, Liverpool won the Champions League, owen never found his feet in spain, and many gloried in this reversal of fortune.

Yet without owen’s goals, Liverpool wouldn’t even have been in the Champions League in 2004-05. They were 30 points off the champions, arsenal, in 2003-04, and 15 points behind Manchester United in third.

What got them into europe’s major competition — by four points from newcastle and aston Villa — were 16 Premier League goals by owen. He was the only Liverpool player to make it into double figures, the nearest being emile Heskey and Harry Kewell, with seven each. so owen wasn’t in Istanbul — but Liverpool wouldn’t have been either, without him.

It’s the same with Coutinho (above). He was huge for Liverpool the year they came close to the title under rodgers and in the early years under Jurgen Klopp was considered essential.

Finally, by commanding such a huge fee, Coutinho enabled Klopp to complete the team he wanted — his sale financed the recruitments of Virgil van dijk and alisson. so it is harsh for that contribution to be forgotten and, at 28, for Coutinho to be assessed in the past tense. He may not carry the youthful appeal of Jadon sancho or erling Braut Haaland, but he could make a difference at a club with ambition.

It is a pity he would appear to be out of rodgers’ price range at Leicester, because he would be perfect for them. Imagine Coutinho picking out passes to Jamie Vardy.