Liverpool F.C. manager Brendan Rodgers is shocked by Dunga s decision to omit midfielder Philippe Coutinho from the latest Brazil squad.
Coutinho, who joined the Reds from Italian Serie A side Internazionale Milano for a reported fee of £8.5 million in January 2013, has been left out of the Brazil squad ahead of next month s friendlies against Costa Rica and the United States.
The Brazil international, Liverpool s Players Player of the Year in 2014/15, tallied five goals and five assists in 35 English Premier League appearances for the Reds last season.
Everything that I d seen last season and the changes in the squad [indicated] that he was going to be one of the flagship players for the new dawn of Brazilian football, said Rodgers.
A young player who made the team of the season in the most competitive league in the world. How he cannot be in the squad is incredible really. I spoke to him at length on it. Of course he s disappointed, but straight away his focus is on Liverpool. That was his thought.
He s a really humble boy and he s a really proud man for his country. I m sure he ll pick up the form here he s shown over the last 18 months and I m sure it won t be too long before he s back in it.
Coutinho scored the match-winner in the Reds Premier League opener at Stoke City last weekend and Rodgers believes the player still has room for improvement.
It s just consistency now and we ve started to see that in his game, added Rodgers. He s the type of player that his numbers will be important. It s about creating goals and scoring goals. That s the level he wants to get to and the level he s working hard to obtain.
Like you see last week, he s a player that s got that magic that can win you a game of football out of nothing, and you ve seen that over time how he s adapted to life at this level. For me he s only going to get better and better and that s something that he s starting to really show.
Liverpool are priced at to achieve a top-4 finish in the Premier League in 2015/16.
Gayle turns down Bristol City
In other news, Crystal Palace forward Dwight Gayle has rejected a move to newly-promoted Sky Bet Championship side Bristol City.
According to reports, Palace accepted a £6 million bid, which could have risen to £8 million with add-ons, from Bristol City but Gayle is unwilling to move to Ashton Gate.
Since joining Palace from Peterborough United for a reported fee of £4.5 million in the summer of 2013, Gayle has scored 12 goals in 48 Premier League appearances for the South Norwood-based club.
