What Philippe Coutinho misses most about Barcelona after opening up on Aston Villa transfer

Philippe Coutinho admits the only thing he didn't miss about Premier League football was the weather, having returned to England on loan at Aston Villa from Barcelona in January.

The Brazilian is three months into his six-month stint at Villa and has impressed under Steven Gerrard, despite struggling for form earlier this season at the Nou Camp, before his four-year career at Barcelona seemingly ended. Villa have an option to buy Coutinho from the Catalan giants in the summer for £33million and the 29-year-old is set to leave the club at the end of the campaign.

Though, reports suggest Villa might not be the only team interested in signing Coutinho permanently this summer, with Arsenal said to be monitoring his form. The playmaker has contributed to seven goal involvements in 10 games after returning to the English top-flight with a point to prove, having failed to justify his £142million price tag at Barca.

But Villa are frontrunners to sign the Brazil international this summer and Coutinho insists that he has settled in well at his new club. He told Sky Sports: "I really like it here. I missed the Premier League and the people here. They treated me really well and I missed this. It's good to be back here.

"The games here are so intensive so I like that type of game. I have to adapt again, I'm trying my best in training and I'm getting better from the intensity point of view. I think that's the difference that I really like. In Spain, it is a different type of game. In Barcelona, normally you would have more time with the ball, more control and those are the different things. I don't want to live in the past, I'm here at a great club and I want to give my best and enjoy my football here.

"The atmosphere in the