Lucas Leiva is confident of being fit for the start of the new Premier League season, although the Liverpool midfielder is refusing to rush his comeback from injury.
Lucas returned to action for the first time in seven months after damaging cruciate ligaments in November, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute in Liverpool's pre-season friendly with Toronto FC at the weekend.
The 25-year-old returned to training earlier than expected following a cruciate operation, and the Brazilian has been lavished with praise by new manager Brendan Rodgers, who has tipped the midfielder to play a key role during his tenure.
Although Lucas is keen to make up for lost time, he is in no hurry to load his body with too much work having suffered such a serious knee injury.
"Firstly it's been a very good two or three weeks training," he told ESPN. "It's nice to be back and building up again in terms of strength and performance. Everything is going well, the progression is going well. I'm looking forward to the new season and hopefully I'm free of injury.
"I'm hoping to play the first game of the season [against West Brom on August 18] but there is still a long way to go. I'm sure the way we do things will be safe, not taking risks because I've been out for a long time and we need to be careful and progress very slow."
Lucas signed for the Reds from Gremio for £5 million in 2007, and he initially struggled to make an impact at Anfield. However, he has since developed into a formidable holding midfielder and now says he is "comfortable" playing in a deeper role.
"I used to play in a forward position but the way I could adapt and the way I feel more comfortable in the Premier League is as a holding midfielder," he said. "We have one of the best players in the world in Stevie [Steven Gerrard] in that [attacking] position so it was very hard for me at the beginning. But slowly I changed, and now I feel really comfortable in my position and the role that I'm doing.
"I had to get used to the football, the country, the people. I came at such a young age, I had to change the way I live and I was far from my family. I started to adapt to the Premier League, in terms of the pace and the physical game, I got a bit older and gained more experience. I had to prove myself, show that I can play [in the Premier League]."
Despite the Reds winning the Carling Cup and reaching the FA Cup final last season, they endured a tough season in the league, finishing eighth. Subsequently Kenny Dalglish was replaced by former Swansea boss Rodgers and Lucas is eyeing a change in fortunes under the new regime.
"If you talk about Liverpool you always talk about challenging for titles and Champions League spots, it's what we want but it's too early to set targets," he added. "It's a new manager and he'll build a new squad. During the season we will see how good will be in terms of targets and what we can achieve. The way we are training and the way the new manger has been approaching the sessions has been good. I think we will have a great season. If we can be more consistent we'll have a great season."
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