Aston Villa lost an idol when Jack Grealish quit but they have a new hero after Philippe Coutinho’s “masterclass” against Leeds.
And in rookie goal-scorer Jacob Ramsey, the Midlands club also appear to be developing their latest homegrown potential superstar.
Villa’s slow to the season cost Dean Smith his job after Grealish activated his release clause to move to Manchester City for a record £100million in the summer.
England ace Grealish is yet to find his stride at City, where he has been in and out of the team and has just two Premier League goals and two assists.
But Coutinho, who joined Villa on loan from Barcelona last month, has already matched that after just three appearances.
The former Liverpool ace has taken Grealish’s old position on the left of an attacking three.
After scoring on his debut against Manchester United, Coutinho netted again against Leeds in midweek.
The Brazilian then also teed up Ramsey, 20, to score both Villa’s other goals with perfectly weighted passes in the entertaining 3-3 draw.
It left both boss Steven Gerrard, who used to play with Coutinho at Anfield, and Villa fans drooling despite the hosts blowing an early 3-1 lead.
Villa midfielder John McGinn, 27, said: “It was amazing. We put ourselves in a brilliant position with a Coutinho and Jacob masterclass in that first half.
“What we have in Jacob is legs and what he is adding now is exceptional - goals , assists and he is really turning into a top player.
“When he combines with a Phil, it is a bit mental , a superstar linking up with a local boy.
“It was a pleasure to watch and hopefully they can continue to combine throughout the season and get us wins instead of draws. It is an exciting time to be part of Villa.”
Gerrard's men, who have a £33million option this summer to buy Coutinho permanently, return to action on Sunday at big-spending Newcastle.
The Toon have won successive games to climb out of the drop zone after defeating Everton on Tuesday night.
The visitors will be without defender Ezri Konsa who was sent off for two bookings against Leeds.
It saw Calum Chambers come on for his debut and he is now primed for his first start for the club since a January move from Arsenal.
McGinn added: “Ezri is angry and he will be a miss Sunday but we have Calum who will slot in nicely.
“We watched the Newcastle game. They have a lot of new players and a new owner.
“They will have a spring in their steps but it is up to us to not get sucked into the noise and try and play with our heads.
“We want to do what we have done a few times this year, which is to put in a strong away performance and try and come away with the three points.”
