Here are your Liverpool morning headlines for Friday, April 17.
Philippe Coutinho could stay at Barcelona next season
Former Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho had been tipped for a Premier League return this summer, but that is now in doubt after Barcelona manager Quique Setien spoke of his admiration for the Brazilian .
The 27-year-old has been on loan at Bayern Munich for the past year, having struggled to find form across 18 months at the Nou Camp following his £142million transfer.
“Coutinho? I like him very much,” Setien told Catalan radio station RAC 1.
“He is still a Barcelona player. You have to pay the clause or a transfer fee to Barca. I think he can be here at the beginning of next season.”
After Coutinho’s agent recently said the player would “love to come back” to England, Setien acknowledged the decision won’t entirely be up to the Barcelona manager.
“I don’t know if he wants to come back or go away again,” he added. “I have to talk to him to ask him. He is a great player, no doubt about it.”
Gerrard’s personal message from Diego Maradona
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has told Sky Sports that he received an Instagram message from one of his heroes this Wednesday, joking that he “nearly passed out” when Diego Maradona reached out.
The Liverpool legend was a guest on Sky Sports’ ‘The Football Show’ on Thursday and discussed the six players that made him fall in love with football. Maradona was among them.
“Rush and Barnes were my two heroes,” Gerrard told Sky Sports, before adding Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, Zinedine Zidane, and Maradona.
“I actually had a message yesterday and nearly passed out,” Gerrard said.
“Diego Maradona had private messaged me on Instagram. That made my day, and I was absolutely delighted to get a reply from him.
“Well, he’s probably after my job!”
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Liverpool fans in Japan backing Minamino
Japanese supporters are fairly happy with the start Takumi Minamino has made at Liverpool and expect him to start more Premier League games in the near future, according to Japanese Supporters Club member Itatsu.
In an interview with the ECHO, Itatsu suggested that Jurgen Klopp will pick Minamino more often once the league title is sewn up.
“I am hoping that once Liverpool return to action and confirm the Premier League title early, Jurgen Klopp will play him and test him for rest of the league matches,” he said. “Three or four games and it will be a quite nice chance for him.”
Itatsu also suggested Minamino will soon adapt to English football, using his title-winning experience at RB Salzburg.
“The strategy of RB group was really close to Klopp’s football,” he added. “[Sadio] Mane’s great success is proof of that. And now, adapting to the speed of play in England is what he has to do.
“Minamino’s experience with that gives him conviction and belief in himself that he is worthy to play for Liverpool. And his confidence can help to give Liverpool good results. He’s a mentally strong person, so I think his experiences have been invaluable to him.”
Read the full Q&A here
Liverpool morning headlines as Philippe Coutinho set for transfer u-turn - Liverpool Echo
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