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Philippe Coutinho sent Brendan Rodgers a special text on the day of his £145m move from Liverpool to Barcelona, the current Celtic manager has revealed.
The Brazilian play-maker first arrived at Anfield in January 2013 during Rodgers’ tenure as Liverpool boss.
The two went on to develop a strong working relationship before Rodgers was sacked in October 2015.
Philippe Coutinho career in pictures
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Speaking to the Daily Record, the Ulsterman said that the pair remain on good terms.
“He sent me a nice text the other day when he was arriving in Barcelona,” he said.
“He is a great young guy, he was never a moment's problem for me. He was a magical player to work with.”
Rodgers added that Coutinho’s transfer made sense given his quality as a player: “It's brilliant for both as he is a Barcelona player if ever there was one.
“At the time when I brought him, he wasn't in the team at Inter Milan. People questioned whether he was big enough and tall enough.
“I'd seen him as a young player at 18 at Inter Milan around top players and I always felt he had the technical quality. And, of course, he was always going to get better physically.
“We kept in contact ever since we left.”
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