Luis Suarez: Philippe Coutinho's Barcelona debut was "very good"

Luis Suarez has said that Philippe Coutinho should be pleased with his contribution on his first start in a Barcelona shirt.

On Sunday night, Barcelona struggled to a 2-1 win over Alaves at Camp Nou, with club-record signing Coutinho being substituted midway through the second half.

However, Suarez has insisted that his fellow South American should be satisfied with his first La Liga outing, which came after a spell on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

The 31-year-old is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: "It's difficult to debut in the Camp Nou in the league. Philippe was very good.

"He did very well trying to drive in the game and the team are happy with his contribution."

Coutinho could be given another opportunity to make an impact when Barca host Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday night.