Former Aston Villa attacker Gabby Agbonlahor believes Philippe Coutinho owes sacked manager Steven Gerrard an apology for his performances.

The Brazilian, an ex-Liveprool teammate of Gerrard's, originally came to Villa on loan from Barcelona midway through last season.

His early promise for Villa led to the club signing him permanently.

However, Coutinho has failed to hit the same heights so far this season.

The former Villa striker said on talkSPORT: “Coutinho was his man and he didn't perform for him. Coutinho owes Gerrard an apology for me for the way he performed, Gerrard backed him."

He added: “The formation wasn't working, he wanted the full-backs to have the width but it wasn't working. He (Gerrard), got rid of all the wingers, and that annoyed fans a bit.

“We became predictable and boring and with too many balls into the box where the strikers were not going to win the headers.

“The tactics were poor and it was just a matter of time. Aston Villa want to push into Europe, not be fighting relegation."