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'A Villa vanity project that failed'

Philippe Coutinho was a vanity project for Aston Villa.

Seen as a coup at the time of his January 2022 loan, Barcelona's £142m record signing never delivered.

Steven Gerrard, his former Liverpool team-mate and then Villa boss, hailed him as a "brilliant signing for the club" while Christian Purslow, chief executive at the time, announced Coutinho's permanent move with fanfare at the club's end-of-season dinner in 2022 and the pair embraced on stage.

A dramatic entrance, an assist and a goal on his debut in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in January 2022, was supposed to herald the perfect relationship.