Lucas's message to Reds fans

It was confirmed on Thursday afternoon the Brazil midfielder will undergo surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained against Chelsea, meaning he will sit out the remainder of the 2011-12 campaign.

Since then, thousands of fans have joined LFC players and staff in sending their 'get well soon' messages to the 24-year-old - and Lucas admits such support will act as a spur as he takes the first steps on the road to full fitness.

"I didn't realise what an impact my injury could make on the fans," he told Liverpoolfc.tv. "A lot of people have been sending me positive messages, and this makes me feel stronger.

"I know at the moment I haven't had time to think too much about the injury and I am just trying to get everything ready for the operation, but I know when I have difficult times during my rehab one of the things that I will remember will be the messages.

"I want to say thank you very much for all the messages the fans have sent me on the website and on my Twitter page too. I have read a lot of them and all of them have been very positive. They have given me more confidence to come back strongly."

Lucas has been inundated with messages from fans and both former and current Reds players on his Twitter pages, while over 2,000 posts were made wishing him a speedy recovery on Liverpoolfc.tv in less than 24 hours.

It's not just those connected to Liverpool who have been in touch with the No.21 as even Chelsea's Juan Mata contacted him to offer his support.

Lucas added: "I have worked hard to get people to believe in me and my football - and I can see the fans appreciate the work I have done.

"Even in difficult times, I have put my head down and worked really hard to achieve things and try to be an important player for the club.

"I want to say many thanks to the fans. There are no words I can say to express how much I appreciate all of the messages and positive thinking all of them are sending to me.

"When I come back onto the pitch, I will repay everything they are doing at the moment for me and keep wearing the shirt with pride.

"They are really important for me because it will be a difficult time and it will be important to have the messages I have received."

The injury comes on the back of three performances in which Lucas was a strong contender for man of the match against Chelsea twice and Manchester City at Anfield.

"I am sure I was in my best form - even when I had a great season in Brazil, it was nowhere near how I was playing here," he said. "It's a pity the injury has come at this moment in time, but there is never a good time to have an injury.

"I have spoken with a lot of friends and other players, 80 per cent of other players have had an injury but came back stronger and are playing fantastic football. That's what I am trying to focus on.

"When I come back, the image the fans have of me will be of the last three games I played against Chelsea, City and Chelsea again - and I will use those games to give me more motivation to come back stronger and fitter.

"I think I will be stronger mentally as well because it is a difficult time for me, but I will deal with it and I won't give up because it is not part of my character."

Lucas will now join fans in cheering Liverpool on in the remainder of the season - and he's already dreaming of joining his teammates at Wembley next year if they can go all the way in the Carling Cup.

He said: "Now I will be another fan, supporting the team, watching the games and I am already hoping I will be at Wembley to get a medal.

"I have to support my teammates, hopefully they will have a very good season and next season I will come back to play an important role in the team again.

"I have never had any doubts about Liverpool Football Club or the fans, but this kind of thing just shows how special the Liverpool fans are. I am sure all throughout my recovery the fans will be sending me messages.

"All of my life, and in my career here at Liverpool, nothing has been easy. It's another obstacle but I am sure I will achieve everything I dream of in a Liverpool shirt and I will be back sooner than people expect."