Mohamed Salah has applauded Philippe Coutinho after his brilliant debut against Manchester United for Aston Villa.
The Brazilian has already made an instant impact back in the Premier League in a 2-2 draw against the Red Devils on Saturday.
Ralf Rangnick’s men raced into a two-goal lead after Bruno Fernandes netted twice and it looked like the German coach might have weathered a difficult storm at the club.
But with just under 15 minutes left, Villa mounted an incredible comeback after Steven Gerrard handed Coutinho his debut from the bench.
Jacob Ramsey halved the deficit after some fine work from the Brazilian, who dashed into the United penalty box before setting the 20-year-old up.
And just moments later, it was Ramsey’s turn to provide when his goalmouth cross was met by Coutinho - who made no mistake to score past David de Gea.
It was quite the entrance for the Barcelona loanee at Villa Park, who were left ecstatic by his impact.
But they were not the only ones over the moon for the midfielder, with Liverpool star Salah making his feelings heard on social media.
In a message to the fans, Coutinho said on Instagram : ““Thanks for the warm welcome. Great atmosphere at Villa Park this afternoon.”
One of the replies came from Salah, who is currently on international duty with Egypt at the African Cup of Nations.
He reacted with three emojis of raised hands, clapping and a flame, commending his former Liverpool teammate.
While the two did play together for the Reds back in 2017, it was not for long after Coutinho forced a move to Barcelona just months after Salah’s arrival in the summer.
Now in his second loan spell away from the Nou Camp, it is fair to say that it has not been the dream move he craved.
However, under Gerrard’s tutelage, the 29-year-old is getting his career back on track with a potential permanent move in the offing.
And the Liverpool legend, who also shared a dressing room with him at Anfield, has detailed how keeping Coutinho happy is vitally important.
“It was a fantastic cameo,” said Gerrard. “He was involved in both goals and there’ll be many more moments. He gave me exactly what I wanted.
“Even if he gets close to the form he showed at Liverpool he is still a world-class talent. At his best he was one of the top players in the league and that is why Barcelona paid so much money for him.
“He has many experiences of the speed of this league and what it took for him to shine last time.
"It is a matter of time before he is even better and stronger but this will do him the world of good for confidence.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of being happy going to work and of being able to smile. We all enjoy love and support from crowd. He has been full of energy and there is no pressure on him.”
