Lucas Leiva says he will help compatriot Philippe Coutinho settle in at Liverpool but urges fans to ease expectations and give the youngster time.
Coutinho made an instant impact on his Anfield debut as he netted Liverpool’s second in a 5-0 rout of Swansea City.
The youngster’s senior teammate believes he has the tools needed to succeed at Anfield, and says he didn’t get the time he needed at former club Inter.
“I’m really happy for him,” said Lucas. “We were talking about the pace of the Premier League and even with the training sessions he has found it is much quicker than in Italy.
“He will need time to settle but that goal will give him confidence. We could see a lot of positive things from him against Swansea. Hopefully he will be a great player for now and for the future as he’s only 20.
“But he will need time. Every single young player who comes to the Premier League finds it difficult when they first come. It will be the same for him.
“I’ve told him about how he will be successful here. He is trying to adapt and play quick because he knows he needs that tempo to be successful.
“He has the skills and the ability to do well. We just need to support and help him.”
Despite his tender age, Coutinho already has plenty of experience having represented Vasco da Gama in his homeland as well as Inter and Spanish side Espanyol.
Lucas added: “His reputation is very high in Brazil but he left the country very early. He was only 18 so we couldn’t really see him play many first-team matches.
“At Inter he didn’t get as many chances as he probably thought he would have. Here it’s a new challenge for him.
“He has settled well and we have a few South American players who can help him. He’s already starting to show what he can do.”
Source: Liverpool FC
