Luis Suarez claims former Liverpool pal Philippe Coutinho would bring “a lot” to Barcelona.
Suarez claims he knows how good Coutinho is from their 18 months together at Anfield and says the Brazil star would be an asset for Barcelona if they could ever prise him away from the Anfield giants.
Asked what Coutinho could bring to Barcelona, Suarez said: “A lot. I know him as a person and as a player because I played with him.
“But everyone knows what Coutinho can contribute. He is a footballer, who today, plays at a very high level.”
Suarez also praised Coutinho for the professional way he has handled his disappointment at being denied his dream move to the Nou Camp when Liverpool rejected Barcelona’s third bid of £115million.
He bagged four goals and three assists in nine games before being sidelined for a second time this season with an abductor muscle injury.
“He’s a player who has ambition and any player would want to come to Barca,” Suarez told Mundo Deportivo.
“He went through a difficult and very complicated moment, but as a professional he continued to show how good a player he is and the personal quality he has.
“Despite trying to leave Liverpool, he continued helping the team and working. He is demonstrating he is a professional who has the ambition to take a step further.”
Coutinho will return for Liverpool after the international break, along with Adam Lallana, and Simon Mignolet claims having them available again is a huge boost.
Liverpool’s next game at home to Southampton on November 18 is the first of 13 matches before January 2 and Mignolet is delighted the Reds will have their complete range of attacking options.
“If you get players like them coming back and being fresh after not playing much recently, that can give not only a boost to the team, but also a boost to them individually,” said they goalkeeper.
“They will be raring to go and very eager to get on the pitch and score the goals they’ve wanted to while they’ve been missing.”