Liverpool have been given an early Christmas present of sorts as star player Philippe Coutinho could make a return to face Manchester City. The Brazilian was stretchered off in the 2-0 win over Sunderland and the Reds have dropped points in the absence of the 24-year-old attacker.

Coutinho was expected to be out until the end of January due to the injury he picked up on November 24, but the Brazilian is hopeful he can face Manchester City on New Year’s Eve.

Speaking to the club website, the former Inter Milan midfielder also stated that his rehab was going pretty well.

“This is still my hope – to return for this game.

“The rehab is going really well. I can now walk without crutches and I am working well with the medical team. So I’m pleased with how I am recovering.”

Coutinho had scored five goals and provided five assists in the Premier League this season but had feared that he would be out for a long time after seeing the replays of his injury.

“Straight after the game, when I first saw the pictures and videos of my injury, I was a little scared,” he said.

“But after the scans, of course it was bad, but not as bad as it could have been. I am happy, as it could have been a lot worse.”

Liverpool struggle without Coutinho

While many have praised the attacking ability of the Reds, they have struggled without the guile and movement of the Brazilian. Despite scoring goals for fun, the Reds have lost against Bournemouth and drew against West Ham recently.

After watching the games, there really was no proper attacking effort put in by the side but just a few moments of magic which led them to score goals.

Even though the Reds are now six points behind the leaders Chelsea, Coutinho expects his side to pick up all three points from the Riverside Stadium.

“Obviously I have been very frustrated, because like any player who is injured, it is tough to watch rather than play and help the team,” he added.

“The last game was a draw and not the result we wanted, but the team still has great quality and I am certain in the next game we will come back stronger.”

Liverpool remains the highest scorers in the Premier League this season but needs to step it up defensively if they are to win the title. That too seems farfetched as their defence has leaked goals and if they concede once again at Boro, it would be a tough night for the manager and the fans after having such a great start to the season.

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