Lucas Leiva has matured into a great player – Liverpool defender Fabio Aurelio

Lucas Leiva, Liverpool

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Liverpool left-back Fabio Aurelio has heaped praise on his side’s Player of the Season, midfielder Lucas Leiva.

The 31-year-old defender believes his Brazilian compatriot showed courage and character by overcoming a maligned introduction at the club to establish himself as one of the first names on each teamsheet.

“Everyone can see how different he is now from when he first arrived in England,” Aurelio told LFC Weekly.

“He is much more mature, stronger physically and knows more about how to win games.

“He has shown great personality and capability to change things around. We remember that at the beginning the fans were not very happy with him but he was patient and remained concentrated on his work and now we can see that he is a man who can do the job.

“He deservedly has a new contract with the club and we hope that he can spend a lot of years here in Liverpool because he can be a great player for us, just like he was last season.”

Lucas arrived in 2007 but was the subject of criticism throughout a disappointing first two seasons.

However, the 24-year-old turned things around, starting 68 games for Liverpool over the last two campaigns to establish himself firmly in the Reds’ midfield plans.

Aurellio believes the move from Brazil to England at a young age was challenging for Lucas, just as it is for most young footballers.

“I think there was a great impact to move from Brazil to England because there is a very different style of football and also he was very young when he arrived here,” he said.

“So together with the big changes it was very difficult for him in the beginning and the pressure was there as well.”

Lucas Leiva was named Liverpool’s best player during the 2010-11 Premiership season by members of its official website, taking 40 per cent of all votes.