Liverpool Midfielder Thrilled With Arrival Of Coutinho

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva is confident his compatriot Philippe Coutinho will bring his own brand of Brazilian flair to Anfield.

The 20-year-old became Brendan Rodgers’s second January signing after the Reds struck an £8.5 million deal with Inter Milan to bring the attacking midfielder to Merseyside. The deal may not have transpired, had it not been for the influence of Lucas, who has revealed he spoke to both Coutinho and Rodgers ahead of the move.

"The manager spoke with me, not asking me about his talent, because he was sure about his talent, it was just about how he was as a person," Lucas told the club’s official website.

"I spoke to him (Coutinho) a few times, not trying to convince him to sign, just telling him about the club, how things work here. He just felt it was a great opportunity for him to come to the Premier League and we are happy to have him here.”

With the addition of the signing of Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool have enlisted the services of two bright attacking options, helping to lift the creative burden that Luis Suarez was left to carry for most of the first half of the season. Lucas firmly believes that Coutinho will provide some more South American panache as the club look to rise up the Premier League table.

“He is a proper Brazilian with a lot of skill, he likes to play with the ball,” Lucas added. "He had a very good spell with Espanyol and I think he will be a great player in the future for us."

Having played for Vasco Da Gama, Inter Milan, Espanyol and now Liverpool in the past three years, Lucas believes that Coutinho is adept at adapting to new surroundings and will take little time to adapt to Premier League life, with a little bit of help from the club’s growing South American contingent.

"In Italy, it is a different game, but he has experience in La Liga as well. But I think he will be able to cope, I just hope he settles very quickly," said Lucas.

"We have Luis (Suarez) and (Sebastian) Coates, and myself, so we will all try to make him feel really comfortable and help.

"He is a young lad so we just need to make sure he settles very quickly, like Luis and Coates have, then he will be able to feel comfortable, show his qualities and start to play really well."