Brazil boss Tite has praised Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, suggesting that he could play back-to-back World Cup qualifiers this month.
It is believed that Tite will decide whether to select Chelsea’s Willian or the Reds star in his side for the upcoming qualifiers against Bolivia and Venezuela.
The 24-year-old started all three of Brazil’s games at the Copa America Centenario, scoring a hat-trick against Haiti, but they suffered an exit at the group stages.
He has featured in both of Brazil’s subsequent games, but only as a substitute.
However, manager Tite has handed him a boost, declaring that “now is Philippe Coutinho’s moment”.
“There’s a reason he is called the Magician,” he said. “With his passes, Coutinho opens the lines, creates space. I like his mobility, he was influential in both games when he came on.
“It was a difficult decision for me, but right now this is Coutinho’s moment. And in football, you have to follow the moment.
“The two appearances by Coutinho… his moment, the composition. It is with mastery, not only because the opponent was tired.”
It could provide Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp with a problem, however. The Liverpool Echo report that this could be ‘bad news’ for the Reds, in that Coutinho is likely to play both of Brazil’s next two games.
Brazil face Bolivia at 1.45am on Friday morning then travel to Venezuela for a 1.30am kick-off next Wednesday.
The Reds face Manchester United the following Wednesday, but Coutinho is not likely to arrive back to Merseyside until some time on Saturday, meaning he might not start at Anfield.
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