Philippe Coutinho is now a MAJOR doubt for the World Cup after suffering a thigh injury in training

Philippe Coutinho is a major doubt for the World Cup after picking up a thigh injury in training with Aston Villa.

The Brazil playmaker was already facing an uphill struggle to make the squad due to a loss of form and lack of regular action, and this is a further blow to his chances.

Coutinho was not in the squad for Aston Villa’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United and new boss Unai Emery said he would not be available for Thursday’s Carabao Cup tie at Old Trafford, or the Premier League fixture at Brighton next weekend.

The Spaniard was extremely pessimistic about Coutinho’s chances of making the tournament in Qatar, which starts in less than two weeks’ time.

Coutinho joined Villa on loan from Barcelona last January to great fanfare and even though his performances were mixed, Villa decided to buy him permanently for £17million.

The move for Coutinho was pushed by Steven Gerrard, who was sacked last month, and has yet to produce the results hoped for.

This latest injury casts further question marks over what may be his long-term role at the club under Emery.