Philippe Coutinho pleased with start at Inter Milan
Inter Milan's Philippe Coutinho has said that he is grateful to have broken into Rafael Benitez' first team and the Brazilian national squad.
Coutinho joined inter from Vasco da Gama in 2008, but remained at the Brazilian side until this summer on a loan-deal from the Italian champions. After arriving in Italy at the same time as manager Rafael Benitez, Coutinho has made a promising start to the
season.
The 18-year-old has two league appearances to his name so far, and made his Champions League debut against Werder Bremen on Wednesday.
Against the Germans, Coutinho showed flair and agility on the wing, setting up several chances for his team and coming close to scoring himself.
"I thought it would be difficult to break into the squad, because Inter won everything there was to win last season with some excellent players," the Brazilian told FIFA.com. "But thanks to God, opportunities have been coming my way. I’ve been training hard
for this and I hope I can make the most of it."
Supported by Menezes for Brazil
Benitez has hailed his prospect as the "future of Inter" after witnessing his dedication in training. His performances have not gone unnoticed by Mano Menezes, Brazil's new national team coach, who called up Coutinho for a recent training camp.
"He’s a great coach, as we’d already seen when he was at Corinthians,” the player said of Menezes, who succeeded Dunga at the national team post following Brazil's World Cup exit earlier this summer. “He helped me a lot, corrected a few things, and we had
a nice, calm atmosphere going. That first session has been very important for my career.”
Coutinho could be in for the biggest game of his career on Sunday, when his team host Juventus in the Derby d'Italia.
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