A message of support for injured Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva arrived from a star of Brazilian football on Tuesday evening – with Barcelona sensation Neymar contacting his compatriot.

Lucas was introduced at half-time during the Reds' 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday but had to leave the field 20 minutes later after picking up a problem with his knee.

Two days previously, Neymar - a teammate of Liverpool's No.21 at international level - had suffered an ankle injury during a Copa del Rey tie for the Spanish heavyweights.

The forward dispatched a tweet to his older colleague on Tuesday which read: "Hi mate, be strong; we are together. God bless you!"

Lucas responded: "Thanks brother, we'll be back soon"; Neymar then concluded the conversation by replying: "Good! We'll come back flying high...we're together."