England

Rafael Benitez: Lucas Leiva Will Reach His Potential With Liverpool

Spaniard believes little Lucas is an uncut diamond...

09-Nov-2009 1:24:31 PM

Lucas and Benayoun, Liverpool - Havant and Waterlooville (PA)

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Lucas and Benayoun, Liverpool - Havant and Waterlooville (PA)

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Liverpool

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez believes that Lucas Leiva will reach his potential and turn out to be an asset for the Reds in due course.

The Brazilian midfielder has had his fair share of critics since moving to Merseyside from Gremio in 2007, but he is beginning to shrug off the doubters and establish himself as a valuable contributor.

"When we played Manchester United, some people came up to me and said Lucas was really good," the Spanish tactician told the club's official website.

"But when you analyse the situation, you will see that he is a young player who came to a big club like ours. It was different to anything he had ever known and he had no other option but to adapt.

"He has also had to get used to the language, the way of life, and it was a problem for someone who had spent all their life initially in Brazil. Yet he shows character every single game and every single day when he is training.

"He works hard, he is always trying to improve. Now we are watching him and we can see he is playing well at this moment in time but we know he is going to keep getting better in the future.

"He is a very good professional and I think that a lot of our fans realise he is someone who gives everything on the pitch for them.

"His confidence is growing, he's trying to take responsibility and he is doing everything. I’m pleased for him and pleased for us because the club is the most important thing."

Adithya Ananth, Goal.com UK

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