Lucas Leiva is convinced of the quality of new Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho. The 20-year-old Brazilian became manager Brendan Rodgers' second signing of the January transfer window after finalising the details of his medical and work permit in an £8.5million switch from Inter Milan.

"The manager spoke with me, not asking me about his talent, because he was sure about his talent, it was just about how he was as a person," said Lucas.

"I spoke to him (Coutinho) a few times, not trying to convince him to sign, just telling him about the club, how things work here. He just felt it was a great opportunity for him to come to the Premier League and we are happy to have him here.

"Coutinho is a very talented player, with a lot of experience for someone so young.

"He is a proper Brazilian with a lot of skill, he likes to play with the ball.

"He had a very good spell with Espanyol and I think he will be a great player in the future for us."