Aston Villa given major transfer lift with star said to be ‘super happy’

Philippe Coutinho has never been as happy as he is under Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The midlands outfit pulled off a real coup when landing the Barcelona man on loan last month. Villa wasted no time in trying to get the midfielder to Villa Park in January once Gerrard had given the deal the green light.

The early January transfer included an option to buy the 29-year-old for £33m at the end of the season. And that already looks a distinct possibility from both sides after a sensational start at Villa Park.

Coutinho, who joined Barcelona in a £142m move from Liverpool in January 2018, has been a shining light so far under Gerrard.

He made a dream debut by scoring the equaliser against Manchester United as a second-half substitute last month. A cool, close-range finish handed Villa a point.

“I missed these games and the Premier League. I’m very happy to be here with my new teammates,” Coutinho told Sky Sports last month.

“It was a good start, we kept believing until the end, but we didn’t lose.”

He also featured from the start in the win over Everton.

Coutinho has also been back in action for Brazil. He started both of their World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay and netted a blockbuster in the 4-o win over the latter.

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Now, according to intermediaries, via Fabrizio Romano, Coutinho is loving life at Villa.

“He’s started very well,” Romano told Gazzetta Dello FIVE. “I’m told also from some people into the club that in training, he seems really happy, super happy with Steven Gerrard, super happy with the atmosphere.

“Who’s close to Coutinho? Agents. They say they never saw Philippe happy and ready to fight as they see him right