Coutinho will ‘go up a level’ at Villa, says Gerrard

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard said Philippe Coutinho would “move up a level” after signing a four-year contract with the Premier League club from Barcelona on Friday.

The 29-year-old Brazilian has been impressed since signing on loan at Villa in January after trying to make an impact in Spain for a cost of 20 million euros ($21 million, £17 million).

Coutinho, a former Liverpool teammate of Gerrard’s, has four goals in 16 games for Villa, and the manager wants him to develop.

“To have him here full-time and settled, he’ll go up another level because that feeling of knowing where he’s going to be playing his football for the next four years will help him settle,” said Gerrard, whose mid-table side host Crystal Palace on Sunday.

“He’s a player that needs to feel wanted, he needs to feel support. Everyone has played a part — me, the coaching staff, all the support staff and, most importantly, the owners, (CEO) Christian Purslow and (sporting director) Johan Lange have made him feel really special.

“That’s where the decision’s come from. He feels really happy here and it’s fantastic that he wants to be part of this journey.”