Brendan and Philippe sittin’ in a tree… a bit juvenile, I know, but Brendan Rodgers and Philippe Coutinho seem to have a little bit of bromance bubbling away just below the surface right now. It’s easy to see why the little Brazilian is so highly-regarded by Liverpool fans and his manager, but quotes of how he’s “adored” after his match winner against Manchester City added a little bit of sexual tension to the whole affair…

And with 50 Shades Of Grey still a major talking point despite the… erm… mixed reviews, here are a few moments that hint we could have a 50 Shades Of Red in cinemas in a few years…

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“Love” is in the air

Coutinho

“I love players that can make the difference at the top end of the field. He’s a young player with 100-odd appearances, a lot of them at the top level," Rodgers said during his press conference.

“I’ve known him since he was 15 years of age, watched him coming through from Brazil and in Italy. A wonderful talent, great technician, got pace, got strength, got power. Again, I think he’s flexible. He can play in the midfield in that zone, or he can play off the sides.

“A really exciting player. Another great product to come into the league, and I’m really looking forward his development and seeing him more.”

The seeds were sewn early on between Brendan and Philippe, with the Liverpool manager talking of “love” upon the midfielder’s arrival. He also suggested that he’d been staring longingly at young Philippe from afar… it was all a little Mills and Boon!

Brendan went the extra mile…

Coutinho

“We did everything we could to get him. And thankfully he’s chosen to come to Liverpool.”

Makes us wonder what “everything” was… Maybe Brendan was sending late night texts, poking him on Facebook or retweeting Philippe’s posts. Oh, what it is to be young and in love.

Uh oh… penetration talk!

Coutinho

“He’s a snip. He’s an absolutely wonderful talent.

“There are very few players at this level now that penetrate with a pass, that play through teams, and he puts teams on the back foot all the time.

“He doesn’t always get there. But the quality of his passing and the weight of his passes is sensational. And he’s a good guy as well.

Let’s home this quote isn’t Freudian at all, with Rodgers talking up Coutinho for being a “good guy” and his ability to “penetrate”… this is all getting too saucy now!

He’s the best!

Coutinho

“Young Phil is performing at a real high level and it’s a great to see because he’s a little magician with the ball.

“The rhythm of his game is good. I’m trying to just manage him because he’s played a lot of games.

“His courage and bravery to get on the ball is fantastic. If he can continue to improve – he can improve his goalscoring ability – then he will get into that bracket of being world class.”

Just a few weeks ago the relationship progressed to the point that Coutinho is now being hailed as one of the best Brendan has ever had… This is getting serious, and perhaps the pair can now be spotted in Ikea on a weekday afternoon browsing the cushions and kitchenware…

Worried about losing him?

Coutinho

“I think he’s a star in the Premier League already,” said Rodgers. “He joined us for £8.5m three years ago – it’s frightening to know what he could be worth now.

“He’s a joy to watch and now he’s started scoring goals. He’s a kid who has so much ahead of him in the game.

“He’s 22 and people forget he came to us at 19. He is a sensational footballer and to beat Joe Hart from that angle and with that power was phenomenal.”

Although he talks of how his value may not be “frightening”, but perhaps Brendan is frightened that he may lose his man to a rival male… perhaps a big city hot-shot like Chelsea or a fancy foreign option like Real Madrid, or perhaps even a sensitive Frenchman in the shape of PSG…