Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard insists he still wants to keep on-loan Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho.

Coutinho was left out of Gerrard's starting line-up for the first time since he made his Villa debut in January and replacement Emiliano Buendia was the star of the show in the visitor's 3-1 win, with Coutinho only used for the final 12 minutes.

However Gerrard addressed Villa's wish to negotiate with Barcelona on a permanent deal for the £30million-rated playmaker.

"We want Philippe Coutinho here for sure," said Gerrard, who played with him at Liverpool.

"We have five games in 15 days so Phil and Emi will both get enough game time to keep themselves satisfied. As a club, we want to be in a place where games come thick and fast.

"Phil understood the decision, he has played a lot. There are no egos here."