Philippe Coutinho looked somewhere close to his best in the second half of the 2021/22 season.

After a dismal spell at Barcelona, who he joined for an enormous £142 million transfer fee, the Brazilian superstar moved to Aston Villa on loan in January and he hit the ground running.

Coutinho scored on his debut for the club against Manchester United, which really was written in the stars.

The former Liverpool man finished the campaign with five goals and three assists from 19 games, which persuaded Villa to sign him on a permanent basis this summer.

It's great to see the 30-year-old back playing regularly and with a smile on his face, because he is such a talent.

During his time with Liverpool, Coutinho was among the very best in the business.

The silky playmaker lit up Anfield on numerous occasions, finishing his career at the Merseyside club with 54 goals and 45 assists from 201 appearances across all competitions.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 18: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield on November 18, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Three of Coutinho's goals in the famous red jersey came in one night against Spartak Moscow in the 2017/18 Champions league group stage.

He was simply unplayable at Anfield as Liverpool romped to a 7-0 victory.

And one fan in attendance managed to capture footage of one of his goals from the stands which has now amassed well over 4.5 million views over on YouTube.

Why is it so popular? Well, because it perfectly highlights how ridiculously quick the professional game is, with Coutinho performing skills by the touchline at breathtaking speed from both a mental and physical standpoint.

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Check out the incredible footage...

Video: Coutinho balling vs Spartak Moscow in 2017/18

Fan reaction

Unreal, absolutely unreal. Apart from the Liverpool fan who stood up as Coutinho rifled the ball into the back of the net, the video above is footballing perfection.

To fully appreciate elite professionals, you simply must watch them from as close as possible, because the television cameras do not do them full justice.

The footage is also a stern reminder of how good Coutinho is in full flow and Villa fans will be hoping to see as much of that as possible in 2022/23.

Steven Gerrard will be targeting a top half finish at the very least after having to settle for 14th place last time out.

If Coutinho, Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara, Villa's three high-profile acquisitions thus far, deliver the goods from the get go, a finish in the European qualification positions could even be on the cards.