Coutinho has much ability like Messi and Ronaldo: Emile

The 24-year-old scored twice as Jurgen Klopp’s side edged an enthralling encounter with Arsenal at the weekend, ensuring the Merseyside giants begin their Premier League campaign with a victory.

Coutinho’s first goal was particularly memorable, a sublime free-kick that swerved away from Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech to nestle into the top corner.

And Heskey believes that the Brazil international has the ability to join Ronaldo and Messi at the top of the footballing ladder.

‘I think he’s got the ability to match Messi and Ronaldo,’ Heskey told Omnisport. ‘I think he’s got just as much ability as them and we`ve seen it in spurts.  ‘We need to see it more on a constant level now. His skills are phenomenal.

‘I’ve seen it when he was at Inter and some of the videos that you see from there in training ... wow. He’s a phenomenal player.

‘Those players come round only once in a lifetime really. He`s a phenomenal player. That’s why he’s going to have teams interested in him, but he is a massively important player to Liverpool.’

Coutinho has admitted that he is determined to weigh in with more goals for Liverpool this season.
The former Inter Milan midfielder scored 12 times last term as the Reds reached the Football League and Europa League finals.

‘I think I can score more this season,’ he told the Liverpool Echo. ‘I always said that the one thing I really needed to improve was to score more goals.’