Barcelona £145m newboy Coutinho out for three weeks

Barcelona £145m newboy Coutinho out for three weeks

 

Philippe Coutinho will be sidelined for about three weeks after his Barcelona medical revealed a thigh injury.

The medical occurred in two stages, the first starting at 7.30am local time and the second later in the morning, and revealed the issue with his right thigh.

It means that Coutinho’s debut will be delayed and he is likely to miss the upcoming Copa del Rey fixture with Celta Vigo and league matches against Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Alaves.

It means Coutinho could make his debut in the Catalan derby against Espanyol – the club he played at on loan from Espanyol in 2012 – on February 4.

The Brazilian midfielder described his move – the second most expensive in football history – as a ‘dream come true’ as he was officially unveiled at the Nou Camp.

The 25-year-old signed his five-year contract alongside club president Josep Maria Bartomeu at lunchtime.

Speaking at the official unveiling of Coutinho, Bartomeu said: ‘All Barcelona fans around the world are pleased to meet the new Barcelona player Philippe Coutinho.

‘We wanted him last summer, we have been working for weeks and months on this deal but one of the most important aspects was that he wanted to come he.

‘He was patient and that was a determining factor in bringing him here. I am delighted to announce the signing of one of the stars of world football.

‘Everyone knows him as a player, we know about his professional career but what I can say is that it wasn’t easy to bring him here. But he wanted to be here and he is part of this new project with Ernesto Valverde and he’ll be getting to know us as a club and a team. Coutinho has a lot of family here with him today, which everybody wanted.

‘Thank you for accepting the deal. We have spoken a lot over the last few days. You are a player we have wanted to come here for a long time and we thank you for your determination and your motivation to come here. We would also like to thank Liverpool to allow him to come here.’

 

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