Steven Gerrard admits he feels "hurt" by Philippe Coutinho's decision to leave Liverpool.
The Reds legend praised Coutinho as one of the best players he's ever had the pleasure of playing alongside in an emotional statement on his Instagram account.
Coutinho's £142 million move to Barcelona was confirmed on Monday afternoon, with the Brazilian midfielder set to make his debut for his new club at the end of the month, when he recovers from a thigh injury.
Gerrard had nothing but well-wishes for his ex-teammate, who is now the second most expensive player in history.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BduPZVUH1ow/?hl=en&taken-by=stevengerrard
"It hurts you have left because you are a special player, up there with the best I shared a pitch with," Gerrard wrote. "I want to wish you and your family all the best for the next stage of your career in Barcelona. Thank you for the special moments and memories over the last 5 years. YNWA."
And while disappointed by the fact that he will no longer get the chance to watch Coutinho continue to dazzle Premier League defences under Jurgen Klopp, Gerrard maintains that he's not surprised by the move.
"I'm still digesting it as a Liverpool fan," Gerrard told
BT Sport.
"I'm not surprised by it. I know Liverpool have done everything they can to keep him and they fought very hard to keep him until the summer.
"But when a kid's got a dream, a South American, that he wants to play for Barcelona and he thinks this is the only opportunity he's going to get, then it's very difficult to stop it.
"There's no doubt about it, Liverpool will miss him. He's a wonderful footballer, a great person and to be fair to him he hasn't downed tools at all. I respect his decision and wish him all the best.
"Liverpool will go on. They've got big money for him and I'm sure they'll replace him with the right people."
