Lucas Leiva suggests he is close to full fitness for Liverpool.
The Brazilian midfielder has had a tough run with injuries in recent years with a knee injury forcing him to miss a large chunk of last term whilst a thigh problem has made life difficult so far this campaign.
Lucas has been involved in Liverpool's last three matches and he feels he is now closing in on 100% fitness which will come in handy during the hectic festive schedule.
"After a long time out and two difficult injuries, I'm just very happy to be back," Lucas told Liverpool's official website.
"I'm still progressing in terms of fitness, confidence and strength but I will get there again. I just need to be patient and when I get back to 100 per cent fitness and the level I was at before, the better it will be for myself and the team.
"In terms of fitness, I'm very close to being 100 per cent but it's just a question of time and games, to be honest. It's very hard to predict how long it will take to get back to my best but I can see an improvement every week, especially in the training sessions.
"I'm starting to feel sharper and better every day so I try to take that into the games. It's important to play well at this crucial time over Christmas, especially because we have a lot of games."
