Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool striker Andy Carroll should work hard and show plenty of determination if he wants to become successful at Anfield.
Reds midfielder backs Carroll to come good
Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool striker Andy Carroll should work hard and show plenty of determination if he wants to become a success story at Anfield.
Carroll, 23, has struggled to live up to his tag as the most expensive British footballer in history following his £35million transfer from Newcastle last January, scoring just eight goals in 40 appearances for the club.
And Lucas can relate to Carroll's misery after the 25-year-old also struggled to adapt to life when he first arrived on Merseyside in a £5million deal from Brazilian club Gremio.
The midfielder, who recently returned to the club to continue his rehabilitation after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage in the Reds' November Carling Cup quarter-final win at Chelsea, has backed Carroll to eventually come good.
Style
He told
The People: "My start was very hard here in Liverpool. But I didn't give up and I worked hard on my objectives to adapt myself to the way the Premier League is played. I changed something in my style and it worked.
"I won over the supporters little by little just at the time I was showing that evolution while all the time keeping my desire to win.
"For Andy Carroll, I don't think that adaptation is a problem any more. I'm sure that he will begin to score a lot of goals very soon.
"The best way he can overcome everything is to not let his head drop but to carry on training harder every day. It works for me and I can work with him as well. What I notice now is I play more quickly, which is how you have to here in England.
"I have developed tactically as well at Liverpool.
"I learned that you have to do your own job very well, respect the limits of the pitch and do everything that the coach asks."
