LIVERPOOL’S INFLUENTIAL midfielder Lucas Leiva has been ruled out for the rest of the season after a scan confirmed he ruptured a cruciate ligament in the English League Cup quarter-final win at Chelsea.
The Brazilian and Liverpool’s medical staff had been braced for the worst following the innocuous collision with Juan Mata that forced the 24-year-old to leave the 2-0 triumph on a stretcher.
Confirmation of the full extent of the injury represents a devastating blow to Kenny Dalglish and a player who has
won over the Anfield crowd to establish himself as a key member of the Liverpool team. Lucas, who had stayed in London after the game on Tuesday night due to the severity of his injury, had a scan on Merseyside yesterday that revealed he had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He faces surgery and a minimum six-month recovery period.
With Steven Gerrard expected to remain on the sidelines for several more weeks with an ankle problem, and Alberto Aquilani on loan at Milan, Dalglish will be heavily reliant on Charlie Adam, Jay Spearing and Jordan Henderson to maintain Liverpool’s pursuit of Champions League qualification. He has also recalled the 19-year-old midfielder Jonjo Shelvey from a loan spell at the Championship club Blackpool.
The Liverpool manager will also be aggrieved Lucas’s injury occurred in a cup tie played just two days after the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League, when Lucas was named man of the match. Dalglish had warned the schedule would put players at risk in advance of the quarter-final and his concerns unfortunately proved prophetic.
Guardian Service
