Aston Villa attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho is going through a ‘tough moment’ at present, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The 30-year-old joined the Midlands outfit on an initial loan deal last January from Barcelona before making the move permanent in the summer for £17 million.

What is the latest news involving Coutinho?

Coutinho admitted that former Villa manager Steven Gerrard, who was his teammate at Liverpool, played a key role in his decision to join the club.

However, Gerrard was relieved of his duties after the Villans endured a slow start to the current campaign and has been replaced by Unai Emery in the dugout.

The Spanish tactician is yet to take charge of his first game for Villa as his work permit didn’t arrive in time for their clash against Newcastle United last time out.

But Coutinho found himself starting on the substitute’s bench for the fourth consecutive Premier League game over the weekend due to his poor performances in 2022/23.

What has Jones said about Coutinho?

When asked who could suffer in the Villa first-team squad due to Emery’s appointment, Jones informed GiveMeSport that Coutinho is an ‘obvious’ candidate and that Emi Buendia will ‘probably’ be preferred.

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He said: “I think Coutinho is an obvious one to look at. Obviously, Steven Gerrard was a big reason that he landed at Villa in the first place.

“That bond that those two had was supposed to inspire Coutinho and get more out of him. So, I think it's a tough moment for him, especially as I think Emery will probably prefer Buendia.”

How poor has Coutinho been playing?

Coutinho, who earns £125,000-per-week, initially appeared to be back to his best following his arrival at Villa and racked up four goals and three assists in his first eight top-flight fixtures for the club.

Just one goal in his subsequent 11 league games of 2021/22 followed, although there was hope that the Brazil international could rediscover his scoring touch this time around.

Unfortunately for Coutinho, though, that has not been the case. He is yet to register a single goal contribution in the current campaign despite making 13 outings across all competitions.

It’s therefore easy to see why Jones believes Emery is unlikely to place his faith in Coutinho, and the South American will surely have to transform his performance levels to work his way back into the starting XI.