Lucas Leiva has promised Liverpool supporters that he will be an even better player next season.
Best is yet to come from Reds midfielder
Lucas Leiva has promised Liverpool supporters that he will be an even better player next season.
The talented young Brazilian has enjoyed a productive first season in English football, establishing himself as a regular member of Rafa Benitez's squad.
He admits that at times he has found the transition from his Latin homeland to the cut and thrust of English football hard to master, but feels that he is progressing well.
Such is his belief that he can master life in the Premier League that he is already looking forward to having an even greater influence at Anfield during the 2008/09 campaign.
"I really enjoyed my first season with Liverpool," the midfielder told the club's
official website.
Adapting
"To play 31 games for a club like this in your first season is something I am proud of because it is not easy to adapt to football in a new country.
"I did not play any games in the first three months because I was still adapting to the style but now I feel much more comfortable on the pitch and, hopefully, next season will be better.
"English football is completely different so I needed to learn quickly. I spoke a lot with Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano because they know what it takes to play in my position in England and they helped me a lot.
"I tried to do the right things and to learn from them because when you have players like them around you it makes you feel more confident.
"I think I got better as the season went on because at first I did not go forward as much I would have liked. I was adapting and I wasn't that confident on the pitch. But as the season went on I improved."
Olympics
Lucas' ambitions of cementing a first-team spot next year may be hindered by his involvement at the Beijing Olympics.
The 21-year-old admits that he would be unable to ignore the call of his country, if selected, and feels that he would benefit from playing in such an illustrious tournament.
"It is very difficult because no-one likes to miss games for their club," he said.
"But the Olympics is very important to Brazil and if I want to play in the World Cup games than I cannot afford to miss the tournament.
"But if I do go then I will pick up more experience and hopefully I will also develop as a player and that would be good for me and for Liverpool."
