Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho could make his Aston Villa debut this weekend.
Coutinho joined Villa on a loan deal until the end of the season last week, Barcelona temporarily shifting the midfielder to reduce their salary mass.
The Brazilian has disappointed since his big-money move to Barca in 2018, and the Blaugrana needed to save on his wage to be able to register new signing Ferran Torres.
Barca will still pay a portion of Coutinho’s wage, but Aston Villa will pay over half.
And they could get their first look of him as soon as Saturday when they face Manchester United.
Villa boss Steven Gerrard has confirmed that both Coutinho and former Barca man Lucas Digne – who has recently signed from Everton – are both fit and ready to play at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
Though, Coutinho will only likely feature from the bench due to match fitness.
“They are both available and in contention for tomorrow,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
“He’s (Coutinho) not match fit because he’s been doing a lot of individual training at Barcelona and he also had a Covid situation.
“It’s great to have him, it’s my job to get him settled in and enjoying his football again.”
