Steven Gerrard Admits He Used to Steer Clear of Philippe Coutinho During Training

Liverpool and England legend Steven Gerrard has admitted he used to hate facing Philippe Coutinho in training when the pair were teammates at Liverpool. 

Coutinho, who's slowly retuning back to form after a turbulent summer transfer saga with Barcelona, netted a superb free kick in Liverpool's 2-3 victory over Leicester to help his side move up to fifth in the table after six games. Liverpool's resilience to keep their star man seems to have paid off, with the midfield virtuoso finding his feet in the starting XI after his transfer request in the summer.

While speaking on BT Sport, Gerrard hailed his former teammate's ability, saying that he found it almost impossible to defend against the Brazilian.

“He’s impossible to defend against.

“When I used to train against him, I’d hate it when I was on the opposition five-a-side team.

“I wouldn’t go near him and sometimes I’d say to him keep away from me because he’ll embarrass you."

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“If you stand him up he can go both ways. He’s got such a low centre of gravity.

“He’s so sharp, so quick and he’s two or three steps ahead of defenders.”

Gerrard and Coutinho enjoyed an 18 month spell together before the Englishman hopped across the pond to LA Galaxy in 2015.

Liverpool will be hoping to continue their bright start to the season when they travel up to face an in-from Newcastle side next Sunday in what promises to be an entertaining top-half encounter. Both teams will be looking to keep pace with the top five after enjoying a successful early start to the season.