Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has said he can tell Philippe Coutinho is in a good place because of the constant smile on his face.
Coutinho is at Villa on loan from Barcelona for the remainder of the season, as he seeks to reenergise his career under the guidance of his former Liverpool team-mate.
The Brazilian has endured a torrid time with the Catalan giants since joining the from Liverpool in January 2018, suffering a number of injury problems and a dramatic drop in form.
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At Villa he has showcased glimpses of the player who lit up Anfield on a regular basis and the supporters have quickly taken him to their hearts.
Gerrard played alongside Coutinho in the latter years of his Liverpool career and speaking about the Brazil international ahead of the weekend's action, the Reds icon said he knows the playmaker is enjoying life.
"I can tell by his body language and his smile when I see those lovely teeth," said the Villa boss, per the Mirror.
"I can see he is happy and settled and enjoying his football. That was the main aim because I knew if we could get him in that place we would see great things.
"I think he has been very consistent. He has come and wasn’t at his best physically in terms of match minutes. But now we have got training and match load into his legs, his training level is going up and up all the time.
"I thought he was outstanding last week and I wouldn’t question or challenge him being our best player throughout February, even though our results haven’t been good."
Villa have an option in their loan deal with Barcelona to sign Coutinho permanently for £36m.
