Philippe Coutinho admits he is relishing the prospect of rekindling his understanding with Daniel Sturridge as the striker continues his return to action in the coming weeks.

The Liverpool forward ended five months on the sidelines by joining the action as a substitute against West Ham United at the weekend, and scored within 12 minutes.

Coutinho had been one of the main suppliers of the bullets that had helped Sturridge fire 36 goals in just 52 appearances since the duo both joined the Reds in January 2013.

And the Brazilian was the architect for the No.15 to increase that tally by one on Saturday, sliding through a pass for Sturridge to blast into the near post.

The striker later spoke of his appreciation for the combination between the two - a sentiment reciprocated by Coutinho.

The Brazil international told Liverpoolfc.com: "We all know how good a player he is. We miss him on the pitch when he's not alongside us.

"His return will be a massive help as he gives a great contribution to the team by moving up front and scoring goals, which is one of the things he does very well. We're all happy for him to be coming back to the field.

"As excellent a player as he is, it will be a big boost for the team and particularly for the other great attacking players we have.

"His return will represent a lot for the entire team - he scored a lot of goals last season and the opposition respect him as a player.

"It surely will be a huge help for us and everyone is happy for him personally as he's a great character."

In Sturridge's absence, Raheem Sterling has been deployed as the focal point of the Reds' attack, and Coutinho is full of praise for the manner in which the winger has turned striker.

"He's a very fast player who's constantly moving into free spaces," he said. "This is ideal for those playing behind him as there will be more opportunities to pass the ball on to him and create a chance.

"Because he's fast, he'll catch the ball when it's given to him. He makes the midfielders' lives simpler."

Coutinho has thrived in the playmaker position in Liverpool's 3-4-3 formation in recent weeks, and he added: "The new formation has been giving me and all the players more options of play.

"There's always one or two players next to us and this makes it easier for us to keep ball possession. I believe we have been adjusting well to this new formation."