Philippe Coutinho has welcomed former Gremio midfielder Arthur to Barcelona.

Coutinho, who impressed with Brazil at this summer's World Cup despite their early exit, is keen to get onto the pitch with his compatriot, who he knows from the national team.

"He is a great player who I met once on international duty," Coutinho said.

"He has a big personality and a lot of quality too.

"You can see when he plays how good he is and I can also say that off the field he is a great guy."