Former Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert has urged his old club not to keep Philippe Coutinho against his will.

Coutinho deserved to have been granted his wish to leave Liverpool and sign for Barcelona, Lambert claims.

"I'm probably going to get a bit of stick for this but I think Liverpool should have let him go," he told BBC 5live sport.

"He asked to go. I know it was late in the transfer window and I can understand why we kept hold of him.

"But if he's made the effort to come out and say he wants to go.

"With everything that he's done for the club I thought he'd have been allowed to go."