Lucas Leiva Injury: Liverpool Midfielder Out 3 Months with Thigh Injury

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has been ruled out of the Reds lineup for the next three months following a thigh injury, according to Sky Sports via Twitter on Wednesday:

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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has been ruled out for three months with thigh injury #LFC More to follow

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) August 29, 2012"

Lucas came off the field very early during Sunday's match against Manchester City, and apparently "felt the injury during the warm-up," according to ESPN.com's Mike Whalley. 

The 25-year-old Brazilian has been a mainstay for Liverpool in the midfield since joining the club back in 2007. 

What It Means

Liverpool will be without one of its top performers for the next three months of the season.

Lucas has made 124 career appearances with Liverpool in the English Premier League, providing a superb defensive presence in midfield.

What makes the news that Lucas will miss three months even more disheartening is the fact that he missed the last five months of the 2011-12 season with an ACL injury.

It is becoming clear now that Lucas is an injury-prone star and that he will need to recover completely before even attempting a return to the pitch.

What Happens Next

For now, Liverpool must dig deep and find a way to replace Lucas' production in midfield.

Lucas isn't a serious scoring threat, but rather an invaluable and intelligent defensive-minded player who takes pressure off the Reds defense and helps ignite the attack.

According to Whalley, recent Liverpool acquisition Nuri Sahin now has the opening he needs to showcase his skill against Arsenal this weekend. 

The 23-year-old Sahin has yet to make an appearance for Liverpool, but played in four matches for Real Madrid in 2011. 

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