Guillermo Amor Insists Philippe Coutinho Has 'A Lot to Give to Barcelona'

Philippe Coutinho is "one of the best players in Europe" and has "a lot to give to Barcelona" despite his recent lack of game time, according to club director Guillermo Amor.

The La Liga giants signed Coutinho from Liverpool a year ago for £142 million, and it was expected he would become a key part of the Barca first team.

Recently, though, he has spent much of his time on the bench.

His last La Liga start was on December 2, and he has since been handed just 62 minutes of game time in the Spanish top flight.

Amor has made assurances that Coutinho still has a big future at the club, per Movistar (h/t Sam Marsden of ESPN FC): 

"Coutinho's a player with a lot of experience, one of the best players in Europe, and he is ready to play [for] five minutes or 90 minutes. He's a player that thinks more about the team than himself, and there are no doubts about him being one of the best players in the world. He's always played well for Barca, he could play [every game] from the off.

"Barca signed him because he's one of the best in the world, and he's going to give us a lot. He's got many years left on his contract and a lot to give to Barcelona."

Coutinho, 26, signed a contract through to 2023 when he joined Barca in January 2018, and it would be a surprise if he were to leave the club just a year after moving.

But the year has not gone quite as expected for the Brazilian.

He claimed a first career league title and also played a part in Barca's Copa del Rey triumph in 2017-18. But Coutinho has failed to have the same impact at Barca that he had during his time at Liverpool, when he was arguably the Reds' best and most influential player.

He is being kept out of the Barca starting XI by the likes of Arthur, Arturo Vidal and Ousmane Dembele.

The former Inter Milan man may well be concerned about forcing his way back into the first team given Barca are managing to play well and win without him. 

Coutinho should get chances as the season wears on because manager Ernesto Valverde will have to use his squad sensibly if Barcelona stay in contention for La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

And Amor has made it clear he has a big role to play at the club.

But Coutinho has yet to prove he was worth the huge sum Barcelona paid for him.