Lucas: "I love this game, and I'm always ready to give 100%"

He might consider himself ‘almost an old man’, but Lucas Moura shows no signs of letting up.

Of course, the Brazilian flyer’s comments were tongue-in-cheek as he was asked about what life was like for him during an international break, having spent the best part of 10 years earning his 35 caps for Brazil.

“The international break, for me, especially now that I’m almost an old man, means I can spend time with my family, my kids, enjoy them,” smiled the man from Sao Paulo. “Maybe I’ll travel a little and discover a new place, a new city, or meet friends.

“It’s a chance to work hard, of course, but also to relax and recharge the batteries. So, yes, I would love to be in the national team, but it’s an opportunity to enjoy my personal life.”

Still only 29, Lucas remains super-consistent, and (touch wood) seemingly always available. He's featured in nine of our 12 matches so far this season, taking his tally to 155 appearances in our last 180 matches since the start of his first full season, 2018/19.

“I love this game,” he said. “I love what I do. I love football, and I’m always available, always ready to give 100 per cent for the team and for the Club. My job is what I love to do.

“We need to have this mentality, to give our best, especially for the fans, now we have the fans back. That’s massive for us, and we need to give 100 per cent for them. It’s time to shine, time to think about big things this season.”

Lucas described the days after the loss at Arsenal as ‘very tough’. “It’s not just about the result,” he explained. “Of course, we know what it means, but it’s more about the performance, because we know we can do much, much better.”

He was therefore delighted to play his part as we responded with a big win against Villa last time out. Indeed, he looked odds-on to tap home what would have been the winner but Villa defender Matt Targett, sliding in, got there first for the decisive own goal.

“We needed that win,” reflected Lucas. “It was a very good game, and we deserved the three points. The lads kept going and if we continue to do the same, we can improve a lot and keep going in a winning way.

“Every game is a war in the Premier League. We need to perform, to give 100 per cent, nothing less. We are very strong, we need to trust in ourselves and believe that we can go out, perform, win games and move up the table, that’s our objective.”