Benitez explains the Coutinho problem he had at Inter Milan
Philippe Coutinho marcó el tercer gol del Barça ante el United con un gran disparo desde fuera del área que se coló por la escuadra de la portería de De Gea / | MEDIAPRO
The Spanish coach worked with the now Barcelona midfielder in Italy
Current Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has spoken to the BBC about his experience with Philippe Coutinho when he was the Brazilian's coach at Inter Milan. His desire to play Coutinho more proved costly and provoked problems inside the Inter dressing room.
"When I went to Inter they promised me signings, but they didn't sign anyone, and if you don't do that then you have a crisis," the Spanish caoch said. "We had 15 players over the age of 30 - players aged 36, 37 and 38. This team had too many injuries.
"Some players didn't want to realise they had to leave a space for someone like Philippe Coutinho, who was 18 at the time. A player who had won a treble couldn't understand why Coutinho could play ahead of them."
Remember that a serious injury later did more damage to Coutinho's career at Inter and he ended up on loan at Espanyol before signing permanently for Premier League side Liverpool -- who Barça will meet in the Champions League semifinal in the coming days.
