http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lucas-c22528 Leiva is set to make a return in the squad in the Reds upcoming league game against Southampton on Saturday.
The Brazilian International sustained a thigh injury back in August during a match against Manchester City, ruling him out of action for almost three months.
Earlier, the prolific midfielder also missed out on the bulk of the previous season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, meaning that he has now been on the sidelines for almost a year.
However, the 25-year old was seen practicing in the training grounds during the last couple of weeks. On Friday, he represented the Reds in an Under-21 match against Middlesbrough and is reported to have achieved full fitness.
Although Lucas was expected to make a comeback against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, Rodgers did not name him in his squad for the match, refusing to rush into re-introducing him at the professional level.
Anyhow, the Ulsterman has revealed that the Brazilian footballer will take part in Liverpool’s next game against Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.
The manager praised the strong character of the player for keeping his chin high despite being down and out for almost a year, and was confident that he would soon stake his regular spot in the team.
“Lucas Leiva will return to the squad, which is great news because he's been working very, very hard and played the reserve game last week,” he told the reporters in an interview.
“He's very much looking forward to it. He's worked tirelessly in his recovery. We're just trying to nudge him along and make sure it's the right time.”
“His next step is games, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks he'll get opportunities to play and improve his football fitness.”
Lucas’ return could prove to be a massive boast for his side, who have thus far struggled to get into a winning momentum this campaign. The Merseyside outfit have only amassed 16 points from their 14 matches. Although the performance of the midfield has
been impressive at times, they have lacked the cutting edge and struggled to involve themselves more in the final quarter.
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