Aston Villa: Steven Gerrard facing 'big question' at Villa Park

Aston Villa have a ‘big, big question’ to answer over the future of attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho in the coming months, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The 29-year-old arrived at Villa Park on a six-month loan deal that includes the option to buy for £33 million from Barcelona in the January transfer window.

Coutinho marked his return to English football following a four-year absence in emphatic style, coming off the bench to bag the equaliser in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Manchester United.

Over his next seven Premier League appearances for Villa, the Brazil international went on to add a further three strikes and three assists, firing them to a trio of victories and a draw in that time.

However, as the Midlands outfit’s form has deteriorated, so has Coutinho’s.

Steven Gerrard’s charges have picked up just one point from a possible 15 in recent weeks, and their South American star has failed to register a single goal contribution in that time.

Villa’s poor run of results has seen them slip down to 15th position in the top-flight standings, with only eight points separating them from the relegation zone.

At £33m, Coutinho would be Villa’s second most expensive acquisition ever, behind only Emiliano Buendia, and Jones believes deciding whether to sanction his signing on a permanent basis is a huge dilemma.

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In an exclusive interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “It’s a big, big question for them to answer.

“And Coutinho needs to answer it for them over the next few weeks and actually produce the goods because he came in, and he hit the ground running, and he looked great. It seemed like a no-brainer to sign him permanently.”

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