In the history of Liverpool few players were as under appreciated as Lucas Leiva. In his prime, Leiva was up there with the best holding midfielders in the league at the time. Injuries unfortunately curtailed his prime. But when he was at his best few could actually compete with the Brazilian.
Lucas was technically gifted and tenacious. He read the game well and worked really hard on the pitch. Those qualities will always be appreciated by the Anfield crowd. That is why he is still fondly remembered by supporters.
Perhaps it’s the nature of the holding midfield role. It’s not necessarily a glamorous position. More offensive minded players often get the limelight instead. While the work of the holding midfielder, most people don’t really notice until they are not on the pitch.
That was always the case with Lucas. And now there is a player who is similarly underappreciated at Liverpool, and who Lucas has recognised for his performances lately.
Lucas Leiva on Wataru Endo
Taking to his Twitter account after Liverpool’s game against Manchester City, Lucas Leiva drew Wataru Endo out for special praise. The former Liverpool midfielder said ‘what a player’ when describing the Japanese international.
It’s hard to disagree with Lucas. Endo is brilliant for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp even described him as world-class recently. He really does keep things ticking in midfield and controls the middle of the park. It’s to his testament that he was able to do that against one of the best midfields in world football in Manchester City.
Few would have envisaged the 31-year-old to have such an impressive time at Anfield. But there is no denying Endo has proven all of his doubters wrong. He has been a phenomenal addition to this Liverpool team.
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