Wednesday, 14th August, 2013
Lucas Leiva has heaped praise on club team-mate and compatriot Philippe Coutinho, who he thinks will be an important player for Liverpool in the upcoming campaign, but warned he may have to cope with tougher opposition.
The 21-year-old arrived from Inter Milan in January and impressed one and all by netting three times and providing seven assists in 13 Premier League matches for the Reds.
However, Lucas feels his team-mate may have a tougher time this term as other clubs had the opportunity to observe the talents of the youngster.
"We could see in half a season last year what he is able to do, and of course his quality is getting better and better and his confidence", the 26-year-old explained to his club’s official site.
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"He's getting older and getting more experience. It's going to be a difficult season for him because everyone knows him now and everyone knows what he's capable of.
"But he really settled very well and I think he will be one of the key players for us going forward during the season.”
Coutinho was snapped up by Inter in 2010 from Vasco da Gama and the starlet also had a loan spell with Spanish side Espanyol in the 2011/12 campaign.
And Lucas feels that Coutinho’s experience of playing in Europe has helped him make his mark in the Premier League.
"He had a lot of experience, he didn't come straight from Brazil – I think that helped him.
"He spent two years in Italy and six months in Spain, so he had experience already of playing in different styles of football. Of course, the Premier League is always very hard to adapt to.
"But with his qualities he got through that. Myself and other players tried to help him adapt very quickly, especially off the pitch because if you feel well off the pitch the chance to perform is even higher."
Coutinho, who has a single cap for Brazil to his name, is contracted with Liverpool until 2018.
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