Philippe Coutinho leaves door ajar when asked about Liverpool return

Philippe Coutinho admits he will always be grateful to Liverpool for enhancing his career and left it somewhat open-ended when questioned if a return could one day be on the cards.

Coutinho has clawed his career round at Barcelona after initially struggling at the Nou Camp.

The player enjoyed great success while on loan at Bayern Munich last season, where he won the Champions League. However, his future initially remained unclear.

He was strongly linked with a move to Arsenal. The Brazilian also made a personal plea to Jurgen Klopp to bring him back to Anfield over the summer.

As it’s turned out, however, Coutinho is now back in favour at Barca under new manager Ronald Koeman.

That shift in fortunes means a return to Anfield appears more unlikely than ever before. Nonetheless, Coutinho still holds Liverpool with great affection. He also refuses to rule out the possibility of one day returning to the Merseysiders.

“The Premier League is one of the most exciting leagues in the world,” Coutinho told World Soccer magazine.

“To have the chance to play with a team like Liverpool will always be something I will feel grateful for. It’s impossible to say what might or might not happen in the future. But right now my only focus is on being successful with Barcelona.”

Klopp should stop complaining

Meanwhile, Danny Murphy believes Klopp should rest his case when it comes to complaining about the short turnaround in matches.

“I very rarely hear players moaning about it, it’s the coaches,” Murphy added.

“Of course you’re going to get frustrated when there’s a few injuries, especially muscle injuries. But it’s part and parcel and it has been for years.

“This ongoing argument about too many games – look, we’re in a bizarre time, the season finished late, the new one started early, we’ve got the Euros coming up…

“The games have got to be played, it’s as simple as that.

“He might, as he has done before, just have to sacrifice the lesser competitions and just stay focused on the Prem and the Champions League, and not worry about the others.”

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