BRAZIL CHECK ON STAR PHIL
LEEDS UNITED v ASTON VILLA
PHILIPPE COUTINHO has been checked out by the boys from Brazil and Steven Gerrard claims they liked what they saw.
Aston Villa’s playmaker was omitted from his country’s last squad, raising questions about his World Cup chances.
But Villa’s boss is banking on an upturn in performance levels now it’s a possibility he might miss out on a trip to Qatar.
Gerrard said: “Philippe is very honest and selfcritical. He knows he hasn’t been at his best.
“He also knows if he has any ambitions of going to the World Cup, his form has to be consistent, he has to be close to the best.
“Since he was omitted from the Brazil squad, we have seen a different level of performance. And a couple of the Brazil coaches were here today to assess him and Douglas Luiz. Phil is very much in their thinking. It was a combination of why he was omitted, it’s about your form – but the coaches know Phil inside out. They know what he can do.”
Boubacar Kamara limped out of the victory over Southampton with knee ligament damage and faces a race against time if the midfielder is to go to Qatar with France.
Gerrard’s other signing Diego Carlos also has knee problems and the Villa boss added: “It’s frustrating, it hurts, it’s a blow.
“But I’ve total confidence in the squad, that we have the right people to come in and fill the void.”