Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers expects more from Lucas Leiva next season.

After recovering from long-term injury, Rodgers warned that supporters may have to wait until next season to see the midfielder back at his very best.

"I've been delighted with Lucas," Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo. "We were very wary of the fact he had had a serious knee injury last season, and then obviously another problem on top of that this season.

"It was important for the team to get him back, but it was important for him that we did so at the right pace and that we paced his recovery right.

"It is a big credit to him as a professional. He has worked so hard, and his attitude and his application has been first class. He deserves every praise for the way he has conducted himself.

"I still believe, having worked with these kind of injuries in the past, that it won't be until the summer, and beyond even, that we see him back at full level."