Liverpool injury news: Reds midfielder Lucas targets return from thigh injury after international break

Liverpool midfielder Lucas has revealed that he has set his sights on returning to the squad when the Premier League returns after the international break in April. The 29-year-old last featured in his side's Capital One Cup final defeat at the hands of Manchester City, where his penalty was saved during the shoot-out.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed the Brazil international will be out of action for "five to six weeks" with a thigh injury on 4 March. However, the Reds' star man has set his sights on making an early return to help the Merseyside club push for the Champions League spot and in the European competition, should they make it to the quarter-final of the Europa League.

"I'm progressing very well. I'm really happy with the way it's going," Lucas told Liverpool's official website. "I'm aiming that after the international break I'll be close to coming back and hopefully playing a big part in the last part of the season."

After they failed to win the Capital One Cup this season, the Reds have responded in a positive manner. They defeated Manchester City in the Premier League tie and went on to register a victory over Crystal Palace, where even after going down to 10-men, Liverpool came from behind to win 2-1 at Selhurst Park.

It was followed by a comfortable 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Anfield in the first leg of the Europa League clash. Meanwhile, Lucas remains confident his side can eliminate the Old Trafford club and is hoping to make it to the final of the Europa League this term.

"It was very good – the team is looking really positive and confident. Everything the manager has been asking us in the last few months, we are starting to do every week. Hopefully it will be a good end to the season for us," the Brazilian explained.

"[United] still have a chance, of course. It's a good result for us but we now have to go away and perform again. If we approach it in the same way we did the last game against them, I think we have a big chance to go through.

"Hopefully, we'll get to the final of this tournament because I think it's a really important one for us," he said.