Steven Gerrard has encouraged his former team-mate and Liverpool’s current longest serving player Lucas Leiva to stay at the club.
The Brazilian has been with us since 2007 and is approaching his ten year anniversary on Merseyside, all the more remarkable considering his shaky start to life in England.
SEE MORE:
Coutinho 4th best winger on the planet says study; Lovren 9th best CB…
Under Jurgen Klopp though he’s always been used as a rotation option, and having just turned 30, there’s suggestions Lucas wants to leave to play more first-team football.
There’ll be a number of clubs on the continent who’ll happily take him off our hands, but Gerrard thinks the South American’s loyalty and experience is a valuable asset and that Liverpool shouldn’t part with it.
”Whatever they decide to do I wish them all the best”, our former captain told the official website.
”Hopefully it’s still here, I’d like him to stay.
“I don’t make that decision, but for me there’s always a place for Lucas Leiva at Liverpool Football Club whether he stays or goes, and he’s always welcome to come back here. I’ve got a lot of time for him.”
Gerrard left Liverpool in 2015, and did so because he wasn’t guaranteed the number of minutes he felt he deserved under Brendan Rodgers, so our Under-18 coach for next season will obviously understand Lucas’s dilemma.
In that respect, we do too. We’d love him to stay at Anfield as he’s key for the dressing room and very effective in big matches, but if he feels his time has come to move on, we’ll respect that too.