Coutinho can help Villa to join the elite, says Gerrard

STEVEN GERRARD believes Philippe Coutinho can help revive Aston Villa’s glorious past if he signs permanently, following a spectacular start to his loan spell. Coutinho has three goals and three assists in seven games since Gerrard brought in his old Liverpool teammate from Barcelona in January. Now, as he prepares to face Leeds on Thursday, Gerrard challenged Villa to finish in the top 10 for the first time since 2011 — but his aims, and those of billionaire owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, are higher. Gerrard was careful not to directly call for Villa to buy Coutinho, who is 30 in June and would command high wages, but his opinion is clear. ‘Phil was successful at Barcelona but he had difficult periods as well,’ said Gerrard. ‘He got to the stage where he needed a change of scenery and a different movie. ‘We want to be that movie for him because if we want to get to where we want to be, we need to build it around talents like Phil, because at his best he is a high-level player. ‘All good teams have game-changers who the opposition are really concerned about before a ball is kicked. Phil has that status and he is giving belief to his team-mates. ‘Our strikers Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings want him alongside them because he delivers on the big stage. I don’t control transfer fees or wages. All I can do is give my opinion to (sporting director) Johan Lange, (chief executive) Christian Purslow and the owners. They are watching the games and they will make the final decision. Phil has shown what he is capable of so far.’ It will be intriguing to see whether Villa’s long-term transfer strategy can accommodate Coutinho, who has a year left on his Barcelona deal. Another loan would be possible only if Barca were prepared to waive a fee. He earns £250,000 a week and would cost about £33million. His display on Saturday would justify those numbers as Villa tore Saints apart, with Watkins, Douglas Luiz, Coutinho and Ings all on target — their best display of the season. Saints had lost only one of their last 15 matches but were swept aside. ASTON VILLA (4-3-1-2): Martinez 7; Cash 8, Chambers 8, Mings 7, Young 7; McGinn 8, Luiz 7, Ramsey 7 (Bailey 78min); COUTINHO 9 (Buendia 81); Watkins 8, Ings 8 (Sanson 71, 6). Scorers: Watkins 9, Luiz 44, Coutinho 52, Ings 54. Booked: Watkins. Manager: Steven Gerrard 8.5. SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-2-2): Forster 7; Livramento 5, Bednarek 5, Stephens 4, Perraud 4 (WalkerPeters 58, 6); Ward-Prowse 5, Romeu 5 (Diallo 77); S Armstrong 6, Elyounoussi 4 (Valery 46, 5); Adams 5, Broja 5. Booked: Romeu. Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl 4.5 Referee: Peter Bankes 6. Attendance: 41,855.