Former Premier League left back Micky Gray has urged the Liverpool supporters to forgive former player Philippe Coutinho if he was brought back to the club.
The 27-year-old is regularly linked with a return to Anfield after suffering a sharp decline in form since swapping Merseyside for Barcelona in a big money move in 2018. Gray, however, feels he’d add a vital bit of quality the Reds are currently missing.
“The Liverpool supporters loved him, but would they forgive him for leaving in the first place?,” he said on talkSPORT [02/07; 10:40]. “They’ll probably moan about it as he signs, but I think after two or three or four games, when they see his ability again, they’d forgive him.
“Would Coutinho make them better? Of course he would. He’s a talented football player. Is he a good player still? Has he still got time on his hands? Well, of course he does.”
OPINION
The Coutinho question is obviously going to divide the Liverpool supporters. He was a phenomenal player for the Reds, which is what earned him his big money move to Catalonia. However, he left under a cloud and there were many fans on Merseyside who were upset by his decision to leave in the manner in which he did. Certainly he could have handled it a bit better, maybe making his desire to swap Anfield for the Nou Camp less widely known. However, Gray is right. If the Brazilian was brought back to Liverpool, the supporters would probably be a little irritated at first. Once he started playing and performing at his old level again, though, they would quickly change their tune. It’s true that Jurgen Klopp’s team missed a little bit of creativity from their midfield last time out, and Coutinho would undoubtedly provide that. He’s a world class player. So if they can get him for a decent fee, the Liverpool fans probably should forgive and forget.
