Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva is pleased with his progress in the first team at Anfield.

Joining from Gremio during the last summer transfer window for a reported £6million, Lucas was expecting to sit in the reserves for much of the season but he is highly-rated by boss Rafa Benitez and is enjoying the chance to prove his worth to the team.

"I have to keep working hard if I want to stay in the team, there are so many good players at Liverpool, particularly in the position that I play, that if I was to stop working and doing the right things to improve, I'm sure I would lose my place." he told the clubs official website.

"I think the manager trusts me and has confidence in me though and I am just trying to keep on working hard and learning."

"We have a lot of good midfielders at Liverpool and I am learning a lot from them, I think Steven (Gerrard) is one of the best players in the world, so I watch him a lot to see the way he plays and the movements he makes." he added.

"Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso are different kinds of players to Steven but they are also very, very good players and it is good to be able to work alongside them."