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Aston Villa's Phillippe Coutinho rejoins Vasco da Gama on loan

Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho has rejoined former club Vasco da Gama on a one-year loan, the clubs announced on Wednesday.

The Brazilian played last season at Qatari side Al Duhail on loan from Villa and scored seven goals in 22 appearances across all competitions.

"It is a feeling of great happiness, joy and anxiety," Coutinho said of his move. "I lived abroad for a long time, so it really is a feeling of coming home, to the place where I was raised, to the place I love, the club I love.

"Everyone knows how happy my family and I are to be back."

Coutinho completed a permanent move to Villa from Barcelona in July 2022, six months after initially signing on loan. His contract at the Premier League club runs out in June 2026.

The 32-year-old was a youth product of Vasco and has returned to the Rio-based team 14 years after leaving the club.

The former Liverpool star missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with a thigh injury and was not included in Brazil's squad for the Copa América.