Dietmar Hamann Says Philippe Coutinho Is 'A Stranger' in Bayern Munich Team

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann has been unimpressed with Philippe Coutinho's start to life at the club.

Coutinho joined Bayern in the summer on a season-long loan, and the German club have the option to make his stay permanent for €120 million.

The 46-year-old Hamann, who spent the bulk of his career at Bayern and Coutinho's former club, Liverpool, told Sport Bild (h/t Goal's James Westwood):

"For me, he is a stranger in the team. I cannot remember a good situation [he's produced] in attack.

"If you have such a player in the team and he does not show any special moments, then, of course, you get problems because in the defence he only counts as half a player.

"He has 30 or 35 games left so he has to start sometime [to show good performances]. He is still on loan from Barca until the end of the season."

Coutinho had a quiet game on Tuesday in Bayern's 3-2 UEFA Champions League win over Olympiacos, but Bayern boss Niko Kovac said he was "very satisfied" with the Brazilian's showing and that he is lacking "a little bit of luck," per Westwood.

The 27-year-old was sent out on loan after a difficult 18-month spell at Barcelona following his £142 million move from Liverpool.

While it's early days for Coutinho at the Allianz Arena, Hamann's criticism of his performances is perhaps somewhat harsh.

The midfielder may not have hit top form yet, but he has contributed two goals and four assists in 10 appearances for the club.

The Brazil international has been creating plenty of opportunities for his team-mates:

Dominic King of the Daily Mail enjoyed his assist to Robert Lewandowski in Bayern's 7-2 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur three weeks ago:

He was impressing in September, too, as his performances saw him nominated for the Bundesliga's Player of the Month award.

Football writer Michael Caley praised him after he scored and assisted in a 3-2 win over Paderborn:

Given how expensive it will be to make his stay in Germany permanent, Coutinho will need to enjoy a sensational season to justify Bayern exercising their option to buy him.

He seems to have settled in better than he did at the Camp Nou, though, and his stronger performances have reflected that.

He's yet to hit the same heights he did at Anfield, but if he can do so, he can help Bayern improve on their third-place position in the Bundesliga as well as enhance their prospects of winning the Champions League.