Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has again praised the progress of Brazilian youngster Lucas Leiva this season.

He told liverpoolfc.tv: "We were monitoring Lucas for a while, so in the end it was good business by the scout department. We had two or three people watching him. He is the captain of the under-20 national team from Brazil, so he's a player with experience and now has two caps with the senior team. We knew he was a good player and we know with these players they must play in Europe. After that, everybody notices them."