Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho's confidence has been knocked recently, according to MidlandsLive journalist Ashley Preece.

The £125,000 per-week man enjoyed a fine run following his return to English football back in January, but he's been unable to replicate that type of form since joining Villa permanently.

What's the latest news involving Coutinho?

Having slipped down the pecking order at Barcelona, Steven Gerrard was able to convince Coutinho to come back to the Premier League in the winter.

As a result, the Brazilian signed on loan until the end of the season, proving one of the standout deals in January.

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Despite a lack of game-time in Spain, Coutinho hit the ground running, registering four goals and three assists in his first eight appearances.

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He would eventually finish with eight goal contributions in 1,138 minutes of action, an impressive return from the ex-Liverpool man.

His form prompted Gerrard to re-sign him on a permanent basis, with Villa forking out just £17m, far less than the £142m Barcelona paid the Reds four years earlier.

But since securing returning to Villa Park, Coutinho has struggled to produce the same attacking output and is yet to score or assist in eight games this season, ultimately leading to him being dropped by Gerrard.

What did Preece say about Coutinho?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "I think his confidence has taken a hit. He burst on the scene at Villa Park in January and despite only being half fit, he really showed the Coutinho of old.

"Some of the goals and assists were fantastic, and then to sign a player of his calibre on a permanent for just £17m was a really great deal, but we haven't seen it this season."

What do the stats say about Coutinho?

With Coutinho yet to produce a single goal or assist this season, it's no great surprise he's one of the worst performing players in the Villa squad.

According to WhoScored, only five players in Gerrard's ranks have a worse rating than Coutinho's 6.35, and two of those haven't started a Premier League game, while another is Diego Carlos, who's featured only twice.

Coutinho is averaging the third-most shots (1.3) in the Villa squad, but he's making just 0.6 key passes every time he takes to the pitch, which is considerably worse than what he managed last season (1.3).

He's also averaging eight fewer passes, which suggests that as well as failing to contribute in the final third, he's been unable to get on the ball as much.