Dani Alves isn’t too worried about star man Neymar‘s absence from the Brazil squad, as he believes Philippe Coutinho is as good as the forward and can carry the team on his shoulders.

The 25-year-old has risen to become one of the world’s most skilled midfielders, ever since his time at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp where attacking football was the norm, to Barcelona where he recently moved for a £142 million deal.

Alves is therefore of the opinion that Coutinho deserves to be rated in the same frame as his PSG team-mate, Neymar, who has a fractured foot and is currently recovering from the injury that will take up to three months to mend.

Speaking ahead of Brazil’s game against Germany, he said: “I think that Coutinho is a player who is on the same level as Ney, he has a massive influence on our game and in his teams.

“When he was in Liverpool and now in Barca, he has improved a lot and learned to read the game better, to make the right decisions.”

“That is great to see, to play with such a good footballer who has that ability. There are others who are similar. We are lucky to play with great players and have them on our side is fantastic. We have to get the best out of them and build a solid team,” Alves added.