Philippe Coutinho admits he cannot explain why his transfer to Barcelona didn't work out as he spoke of his "beautiful story at Liverpool".
The Brazil international moved to Aston Villa in January after failing to make the grade at Camp Nou following his £142m switch from Anfield at the start of 2018.
Coutinho was arguably playing some of his best football during the five years he spent at Liverpool shortly before his exit, but the attacking midfielder was unable to replicate that form on a prolonged basis in Spain before he was loaned out to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019.
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Bayern declined the chance to make that move permanent before he was eventually sent on loan to Villa during the winter transfer window.
And having made a good start to his career under Steven Gerrard at Villa Park, Coutinho spoke of his happiness during his time on Merseyside but said he was unsure as to why the spell with Barcelona didn't go according to plan.
He told Globo Esporte (via Sport Witness): "Perhaps ‘stronger than before’ fits right here. You can’t play in England without being physically fit.
"I have a beautiful story at Liverpool, I was happy there, now I’m starting to write a story at Aston Villa. I’m happy that once again I’m able to play well in England, as I’ve played in Italy, Spain and Germany.
"It’s hard to say what didn’t work at Barca. Maybe some points from what you mentioned (about injuries). I had good times there, but the sequence and the way of acting were factors that could have been different.”
"It was time to move forward, always with great respect and professionalism. I am grateful to Barcelona for believing in my work and I am grateful for having defended a club with a lot of history."
