Wednesday afternoon at Bodymoor Heath and the atmosphere around Aston Villa’s training was noticeably different.
Philippe Coutinho’s loan to the club has been greeted with interest and curiosity from outside observers but, inside the camp, the only feeling is excitement.
As the Brazilian got down to business, under the keen eye of Villa’s coaching staff, enthusiasm started to quickly build.
Philippe Coutinho's (pictured) loan to Aston Villa has been greeted with interest and curiosity
Many of his new team-mates had finished second day recovery sessions, following Monday’s FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford, but they were in no hurry to leave. They preferred to stay and watch as Coutinho started to go effortlessly through the gears.
The tricks and flicks may have been easy on the eye but the thing that resonated most with Steven Gerrard’s squad was the fact Coutinho was smiling throughout. After four years seemingly surrounded by clouds, was this the moment a light had returned?
It is easy to forget the way Coutinho was once discussed and the joy he brought. When he first joined Liverpool nine years ago from Inter Milan, he played with such creativity under Brendan Rodgers that Daniel Sturridge — a chief beneficiary of his ingenuity — dubbed him ‘David Blaine’.
Steven Gerrard's (centre) side were beaten by Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday
The Kop loved him so much that a banner hailing him O Magico was created. Jurgen Klopp was in raptures to inherit a player of his ability and there is a story, after a game at Crystal Palace in October 2016 which Liverpool won 4-2, when the German could not contain his enthusiasm.
‘Coutinho!’ he kept saying, as he greeted the squad at their old Melwood complex. ‘Coutinho... wow!’ And he was a ‘wow’ footballer.
Gerrard, during his playing days, was fiendishly difficult to win over when appraising others but when you got him in conversation about Coutinho, the tone of his voice always changed.
When he told you the boy from Rio was special, you knew he meant it.
The current Villa boss hailed Coutinho as special during their days together at Liverpool
The sheen around him was removed following his transfer to Barcelona in January 2018. Liverpool squeezed every last penny out of the Catalans, selling him for £146million. The price reflected his standing in the game back then but it also became a curse.
There was initial promise. He and his wife, Aine, settled into life in the beach town of Castelldefels, where their neighbours included Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.
He fitted in on the pitch, too, never more so than when Barca won the Copa del Rey, scoring as Seville were thrashed 5-0 in the final.
That game, however, is best remembered for a glorious Andres Iniesta goal and Iniesta was, in many ways, Coutinho’s biggest problem. He had been drafted in to be Iniesta’s long-term replacement but those demands weighed heavily on his shoulders through 2018-19.
The demands to be Andres Iniesta's (pictured) replacement at the Nou Camp weighed heavily on the Brazilian
He spurned the perfect chance to win over fans when allowing his pride to get the better of him in a Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester United at the Nou Camp, after scoring the third goal — and a beautiful one, too — in a 3-0 win.
Yet there was no joy. He stood alone in the centre of the pitch, closed his eyes
