Aston Villa loanee Philippe Coutinho says he does not regret joining Barcelona from Liverpool in 2018, even though his move to Camp Nou didn’t really work out.

The Brazilian moved to Spain in a deal worth £105m, rising to £142m with potential add-ons, but he wasn’t able to step into the shoes of Neymar, who Barcelona were desperate to replace after he opted to join PSG.

Indeed, Coutinho is perhaps best remembered during his time at Barcelona for helping to knock the club out of the Champions League while on loan at Bayern Munich, rather than for any performances in Catalonia.

Speaking in an interview with ESPN, the 29-year-old has revealed that he doesn’t regret leaving Liverpool for Barcelona, while he also opened up on his return to the Premier League with Aston Villa as well as his reunion with Steven Gerrard, his former teammate at Anfield and now manager.

„No,“ Coutinho replied when asked if joining Barcelona was a mistake. „At certain times we have to make decisions, and one of my big dreams was to play for Barcelona, ​​and at that moment I decided to make that decision, but always with great affection, respect and gratitude for Liverpool and for the friendships over the years I’ve been in the club. 

„But at that moment I had a decision to make and I don’t regret it.

„I really wanted to return to the Premier League, I am at a great club that makes me very happy. All players giving their best so that we can achieve our goals as a team. I always work to make things work out. 

„What I want most is to be well for the team I’m defending. Sometimes it doesn’t and there’s no way to explain it.

„I always admired him [Gerrard] a lot. For me, it was an honour to have played with him. Now having him as a coach, with the experience he has, training has been strong and demanding. He has big ambitions, I’m happy to be here and I hope to respond to what he expects by helping our team to achieve our goals.

„I have always had this relationship of admiration and respect. I wish I had that opportunity to work with him again. He’s a guy who’s very open to all players and has a lot of influence in the group.“