Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has welcomed the news of Philippe Coutinho penning a new long-term contract at the club.
Coutinho, 24, signed a five-year deal on Wednesday that makes him the Reds' highest-paid player as a reward for his excellent form this season.
Gerrard, who will be taking up a full-time coaching position at Liverpool's academy in February, believes manager Jurgen Klopp can build his team around the Brazil international's talents for the foreseeable future.
"Philippe has been instrumental over the last couple of years -- he's grown and become a world-class talent," Gerrard is quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror. "I trained against him on a daily basis and I've played with him -- he's a phenomenal footballer. He can do magical things with the ball.
"He's the type of player you want to build your team around. And if Liverpool are to be successful in the coming years, I'm sure he'll have a big part to play in it. He's a magical player."
Coutinho is now fit after recovering from ankle ligament damage sustained in November and played 87 minutes in Liverpool's EFL Cup semifinal defeat to Southampton in midweek.