Kenny Dalglish confirmed Lucas Leiva will undergo a scan after injuring his knee during the Carling Cup triumph at Chelsea.

The Brazilian produced another impressive display in the quarter-final showdown at Stamford Bridge but was carried off on a stetcher 20 minutes from time following a challenge with Ryan Bertrand.

Dalglish told his post-match press conference: "He's damaged his knee. We don't know what it is. We'll get him looked at and take it from there.

"We don't know what it is so rather than speculate we are best waiting until we get the proper diagnosis tomorrow or the next day and we'll let everybody know in due course.

"He needs to get it scanned."

”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.” – Fabio Aurelio

When Lucas Leiva first pulled on a Liverpool jersey back in 2007, Liverpool fans were quick to criticise his contributions to the team – myself included.

However, in the past few seasons Liverpool’s very own samba-star has gone from strength to strength and is now an integral – if not essential – part in our midfield.

A lot of cries from the Kop during Lucas’ first three years at the club were centered around the same views: he’s too young; he’s not strong enough; and he’s a bench player at best.

It is true that Lucas may have in fact been dwarfed at the time by the midfield triumvirate of Messrs. Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano – next to them, any midfielder still learning his trade would seem non-beneficial to the team.

It must also be remembered that Lucas came to the club from Brazil as an attacking midfielder; for him to be molded into the defensive-minded player he is today, it was always going to take a considerable amount of time.

But with all three of the aforementioned midfielders leaving for pastures new or – in Gerrard’s instance – struggling with injury problems, Lucas has come into his own and has stamped his name on the midfield anchor-role.

In what was arguably our poorest season for many years under Roy Hodgson, the 24-year old still managed to stand out from the rest. His sheer understanding of the game was finally beginning to be recognised – he was winning the Kop over.

By the end of the season, where he was named Standard Chartered Fans Player of the Year with 40% of the vote, he’d already earned the respect of Kenny Dalglish: “”…he may be the one who stops the guy going past the first fella then sets us on our way”. The fact that he completed more tackles than any other player in all four major European leagues last season is a sheer indication of his quality and class. Even Gerrard conceded, “he was our best player last season”.

Now to this season, Lucas has indefinitely become the heart lynch-pin of Liverpool’s central midfield. His passing and tackling percentage is second to none. Against Manchester City last weekend, Lucas had a 92% passing accuracy and a startling 100% tackle-completion – stats which represent a talent which is irreplaceable within the team.

Lucas has also endeared himself to the fans through the social networking means of Twitter. His account @LucasLeiva87 is a way in which he can connect with the fans and respond to results after games. Following the City game he tweeted, “Disappointing result today as we has chances to win the game anyway thanks for your support again. YNWA”.

Additional to his contribution to Liverpool, his meteoric rise has also been felt by the Brazilian national side. He has now recorded 20 international caps for the side and has cemented himself into their setup despite large competition from other Premier League players such as Manchester United’s Anderson.

Ultimately, Lucas exemplifies everything that a Liverpool fan wants to see. Passion for the game, technical aptitude and sheer desire to win. Rafa Benitez once said back in December 2008, in reaction to fans booing Lucas after a poor performance against Fulham, “people just don’t know how good Lucas is”. Well Rafa, I think it’s safe to say that now we do.