Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers: "Wonderful" Philippe Coutinho is new Luis Suarez

By Shane Callaghan, Reporter | 04 February 2015

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers backs in-form Philippe Coutinho to develop into a reliable figure akin to Luis Suarez in his last season on Merseyside.

Brendan Rodgers has said that the "wonderful" Philippe Coutinho is well on his way to becoming as influential as Luis Suarez was for Liverpool.

The Brazilian struck a last-gasp winner from 25 yards in tonight's 2-1 win at 10-man Bolton Wanderers as the Reds advanced into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

With 31 Premier League goals, Suarez - now at Barcelona - spearheaded Liverpool's title challenge last season, only to miss out by a point, and Rodgers says that Coutinho is developing into a similar figure.

"He will become world class in the next couple of years," he told reporters.

"Luis Suarez was at a level then he played in this team and grew and grew with the model and went into the world-class bracket and I can see Coutinho falling in the same sort of way.

"He might not be as prolific as Suarez was but he is certainly on the way to that. He is a wonderful, wonderful player. Signing a new deal shows he is really committed to Liverpool and his development."

The 22-year-old, who set up both goals in a 2-0 win over West Ham United on Saturday, extended his contract until 2020 recently.