Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has heaped praise on Lucas Leiva over his current form.

The Reds are unbeaten in the games he has started, a run which has seen them recover from their worst league start since 1992/93 to climb to eighth in the table.

"If we go back to Liverpool's defeat at Crystal Palace, where we were really critical of them, we said things had to change," he told Monday Night Football.

"Liverpool are a different team this season, Steven Gerrard is the playmaker. They needed to get someone in midfield who could shield that defence, and from that day, in the following 10 league games, Lucas has been brought in.

"If you look at the stats, the influence he has made has been noticeable to say the least. The one game that stands out is the Manchester United game, not because of the 3-0 defeat but because it was the one game Lucas didn't play. Brendan Rodgers made a few changes and brought his technical players back into the team.

"He has had a big effect on the team and he's got to stay there. There was talk of Inter Milan making a bid, or other clubs looking at him and I'm not sure how long he's got left on his contract."