Lucas Leiva felt like he was a teenager again when he made his return from injury for Liverpool on the weekend.
The 25-year old Brazilian midfielder played almost the entire 90 minutes as the Reds beat Southampton 1-0 at Anfield, marking his first appearance since the end of August because of a thigh injury.
Lucas was delighted to get through the match but admitted he felt like he was again on debut as he was for Brazilian outfit Gremio back in 2005 when he was 18 years old.
"I was really looking forward to the game and the feeling against Southampton was the same as my first match for Gremio," he told Sky Sports.
"I played more minutes than people were expecting and now it is just a question of games and training sessions, that is the only way I will get to the level I was.
"I think it was really positive, especially as it is a year since my first injury. I was really pleased with the performance. I need to improve a lot but that is a good step I have made."
He added: "Everyone knows it has been a long journey for me to turn around the opinion of people but they really appreciate the work I do for the team and the passion I have for the club."
