In the weeks leading up to Tite announcing his Brazil squad for the World Cup, there was a belief that Philippe Coutinho, despite struggling at Aston Villa, could still make the trip.
He is often considered a favourite of the manager’s, and despite the feeling that others deserved a spot over him, everything suggested he would be a part of the tournament for his country.
That is until he missed Aston Villa’s game against Manchester United at the weekend, where it was announced that he had picked up an injury.
That has since been confirmed by Tite himself, relayed by ESPN, who announced his Brazil squad on Monday afternoon, and left out the Aston Villa player, calling up Everton Ribeiro instead.
This will come as a blow to Coutinho, although his form for the Villa Park side this season has left a lot to be desired when played by Steven Gerrard.
To date, the Aston Villa man has no goals and no assists in 13 appearances this season.
