Philippe Coutinho's Liverpool form sees him earn Brazil call-up for France and Chile tests

LIVERPOOL midfielder Philippe Coutinho has been rewarded for his sparkling form with a call-up to the Brazilian national side.

Philippe CoutinhoGETTY

Philippe Coutinho has earned a Brazil call-up

Coutinho has been at the forefront of Liverpool's unbeaten start to 2015 and has now forced his way into Dunga's squad to France in Paris on March 26 and Chile at the Emirates stadium in London three days later.

The 22-year-old was surprisingly overlooked for Felipe Scolari's World Cup squad but has found favour with Dunga, who announced a squad with a blend of youth and experience.

Dunga said: "Marcelo is a regular again at Real Madrid, he has experience in World Cups with Brazil and we are trying to cast a wide net.

"We are mixing youth and experience.

Philippe Coutinho's Youth Skills - Street Football

We are mixing youth and experience.

"We brought Fabinho in before and we hope he can get a run of matches with Monaco. He is a right back but has been playing midfield in Monaco."

Brendan Rodgers recently tipped Coutinho as a possible winner of the PFA Young Player of the Year award, saying: "What he gives to the team, he offers that gold dust to how we play. He's a wonderful player.

"If you see his videos on YouTube - playing futsal when he was 11 or 12 in Brazil - he's playing the same game now only as an adult.

"We knew he had ability, it was just about trusting that ability and allowing it to grow."

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