An attack-minded player as a youth, he developed into a defensive holder with massive energy levels to press opponents, positional awareness to break down counter-attacks and still the vision to select the appropriate forward pass.

But it was not an easy way on Merseyside. Signed in 2007, Lucas made his first appearance for the Reds as a substitute in a Champions League qualifier against Toulouse in August of that year. A total of 71 appearances would follow during the subsequent two seasons, although often from the bench.

Despite his best efforts, however, the Brazilian was often maligned by the supporters who desperately wanted him to show clear evidence of his obvious potential.

The departure of Xabi Alonso in the summer of 2009, coupled with the injury issues surrounding his replacement Alberto Aquilani, provided Lucas with the perfect opportunity to snatch a regular spot in the side.

He grew in stature during the 2009-10 season and converted a classy goal in the Europa League quarter-final victory over a strong Benfica outfit at Anfield, one of the highlights of that particular campaign.

Lucas' form survived two changes of manager and continued into the next year; his most consistent period in a Liverpool shirt was rewarded with the fans' Player of the Season accolade for 2010-11. His relationship with the Kop was finally maturing.

The No.21 suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury at Chelsea in November 2011, however, and spent the remainder of the season on the sidelines as his teammates lifted the League Cup and suffered FA Cup final heartbreak.

With Brendan Rodgers installed as boss and keen to make Lucas an integral part of his project, he again proved his fortitude by overcoming an injury setback at the outset of 2012-13 to feature on 31 occasions.

The midfielder passed the 200-appearance mark in the process and was handed a fresh contract in April 2013, before featuring in two-thirds of the fixtures as the Reds launched a Premier League title challenge in the next campaign.

He would add more than a century of matches to his total between 2014 and 2017, and his experience and professionalism were relied on heavily by Jürgen Klopp after he took charge in October 2015 and began to rebuild the squad, with Lucas often filling in at centre-back too.

But having reached a decade of service in the summer of 2017, Klopp accepted Lucas' desire for more consistent game time and the Brazilian embarked on a new challenge in Serie A with Lazio.