Anfield legend John Aldridge has urged Liverpool to keep Lucas Leiva at the club not only out of loyalty to such a dedicated servant but also because he remains to be an important member of the squad.
The Brazilian has barely featured under Jurgen Klopp this season and has been strongly linked to a January move away from Merseyside having been at the club since 2007.
He is a fan favourite and bidding farewell to him would be a sad day for Liverpool supporters but a man of his commitment deserves the best and if the chance to play first team football on a regular basis elsewhere interests him then he is worthy of making that decision.
Aldridge believes the Reds should hold onto their man for the time being though given his versatility and recent injuries to key players.
In his column for the Liverpool Echo, he said: “There’s been a lot of talk about Lucas Leiva’s future at Liverpool but I hope he stays put for the rest of the season.”
“What he’s done for the club over the past 10 years has been phenomenal. He’s been a great servant.”
“Inter Milan want him and it’s a tough one for the manager and the player. He loves it here, his family are settled and he does a lot for the community but he wants to play football.”
“With the injuries we’ve got, I think we’ll need him over the coming weeks. With his experience and the fact that he can cover two positions, I still believe he’s important to us.”
“Hopefully there will be enough football to keep him happy and keep him at Anfield until May.”
His experience could prove to be vital heading into such a crucial period of the season while his defensive qualities alone means he is always a player capable of coming into the team and doing a job more often than not.
We don’t want to see this squad broken up at this stage and would be deeply saddened to see Lucas leave.