Philippe Coutinho has revealed he has received messages of support from a number of Liverpool fans ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester City but is only focused on helping his new club.
The Brazilian midfielder joined Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona in January, a move which has since been made permanent by Steven Gerrard's side. Coutinho will be part of the Villa side this weekend hoping to do his former employers a major favour in the title race, along with Danny Ings and Gerrard.
Liverpool require three points against Wolves at Anfield, but are also counting on City's opponents to take at least one point off Pep Guardiola's men to stand a chance of top-flight glory. Fully aware of the circumstances heading into the match at the Etihad, Coutinho has admitted he is not allowing his past connection with the Reds to weigh heavy on his mind.
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Previewing this weekend's match, the 29-year-old told the Daily Mail: "It's a great game to play. But we want to finish well against a great club, ad that's it. We always want to improve and do well and finish as high as we can.
"I only care about my new club. I want to play well for them. I have had a lot of messages from Liverpool fans on social media but I don't look at it that much anyway. My focus is only on the games we have.
"City are one of the best teams in the world. It's always difficult to play them. But we have played them before and done well and competed throughout the game. That is what we want to do this time and compete on the same level."
Coutinho produced the best football of his career during his five-year stay on Merseyside, though left many fans disappointed after leaving Anfield to join Barcelona in January 2018. It's a move that failed to truly work out for either party, though the Samba star has no regrets over his decision to sign for the La Liga giants.
"It was not the experience I expected but life is like that," he admitted. "The only time I was worried was when I got a bad injury. I was out for nine months and had three surgeries. I don't regret anything. It's all part of life's ups and downs. It was my dream to play at Barcelona since I was a child. But now it's in the past and I am looking forward to my future here.
"Also I learned a lot in that time. It was a very difficult time for me but it made me stronger in my head. From that point on it was important for me. I missed it a lot and now I feel more love for the game."
