INJURED star Lucas has set his sights on collecting his first Liverpool FC winners medal.

The Brazilian is continuing his recovery from a cruciate knee ligament injury at Melwood and has witnessed a big week for his team-mates as they knocked both Manchester clubs out of the major domestic cup competitions.

Despite being out since late November, Lucas would be entitled to a medal if the club beat Cardiff in the League Cup final on February 26.

“I think it would be a reward for the hard work everybody has done and for taking the competition really seriously,” Lucas said in this week's LFC magazine. “It would be especially important for me because I got injured in the Carling Cup. Hopefully in February I can be at Wembley getting a medal and I would be really happy if it happens.”

Lucas arrived at the club in 2007 and his influence on the side has steadily grown ever since. Despite this, he has been taken aback by the messages of support he has received since his injury.

“When I got injured lots of the fans sent me positive messages and I have to say thanks for that,” the midfielder said. “That helped me to keep strong and keep doing well and hopefully I will be back in a red shirt soon. That is something for me to aim for.

“I didn’t realise that the people would care so much and it was very nice for me. Those kind of things give you an extra motivation to keep going especially during this hard time that I am having. It is the first serious injury I have had in my career and so it was good to have those messages from well-wishers. The fans were one of the reasons that I decided to come back from Brazil as I wanted to be closer to them and to my team-mates.”

• The full Lucas interview plus extensive coverage of the Reds' superb results against Manchester City and Manchester United are in this week's LFC magazine. Subscribe now for £20 for 3 months, for more details visit www.liverpoolfc.tv/match/magazine