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Lucas Leiva has revealed how his friendship with rival South American Premier League stars helps him feel closer to home.

The Brazil international celebrated his 27th birthday last week with a star-studded guest list for dinner in Liverpool.

As well as clubmates Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Spaniard Iago Aspas, Lucas was joined by Manchester United twin brothers Rafael and Fabio and Manchester City duo Fernandinho and Pablo Zabaleta.

The photograph of the group Lucas uploaded to social networking site Instagram provoked a mixed response.

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Some fans were critical of Liverpool stars socialising with United and City players but Lucas insists there was no reason to keep their friendship under wraps.

“It was a bit of a decision between us whether to put the picture out because there were players from rival clubs together but I said we should,” Lucas said.

“It was a nice photo and I wanted to post it. The guys from London – the likes of David Luiz, Oscar, Willian and Ramires – probably would have been there too if Liverpool was not so far away.

“The friendship of these players is something that I really value. There is always a lot of respect between us.

“It’s something important, especially being so far from Brazil. I said we have nothing to fear because we are friends.

“Sometimes you get abuse because some people don’t understand but that’s life. When we are on the pitch we all fight for our clubs. Of course we always try to defend our team. I always remember the fight I had with Rafael in the derby – that means nothing outside of the pitch.

“I am very happy I have people who play in other teams and are my friends outside of the pitch.

“It’s good to have people around like that to talk about a lot of stuff – not just football. The wives get along as well and that makes their lives easier being so far away from home. We just have to show people that we are friends outside, but we all fight for our clubs on the pitch.”

Lucas admits title talk was on the agenda over dinner. Man City are the bookies’ favourites to land the Premier League crown but the Reds midfielder insists no-one was making any bold predictions.

“There were a lot of opinions but we all have respect,” Lucas added. “We all know that at the end the best team will win.

“At the moment that team is Arsenal because they are top of the league. We will see in May who is top.”

If fourth placed Liverpool are going to launch a challenge Lucas knows they will need Suarez to maintain his scintillating form over the coming months.

With 22 league goals, the Uruguayan is on course to shatter Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s Premier League record of 34 goals in a single season.

They achieved that figure over a 42-game campaign but Suarez, who missed the first five games due to suspension, can only play in a maximum of 33 league matches this term.

“Luis’ form gives us hope and confidence,” Lucas said.

“At any time of the game he can do something special to change the game and score goals. He is always pressing people from the front which helps us a lot. His work rate is amazing for a forward.

“We are used to seeing strikers who don’t like to fight too much but Luis is the kind of player who fights and wants to win every ball and makes things happen.

“He’s just showing his talent and getting better and better this season. We’re lucky to have him.”

Lucas believes Suarez’s close bond with the club’s fans and the contentment of his family with life on Merseyside convinced him to pen a new long-term deal before Christmas.

“If you see the games every week you can see the relationship between the fans and Luis – it’s very special,” he said.

“There were a few difficult moments last summer which everyone knows about but in the end everyone – the fans, the club and Luis – was happy with the new contract.

“The club supported him in every single way and now he’s out there giving everything on the pitch. He knows the club and he know all his team-mates – he feels comfortable playing for the team.

“His family are very happy in Liverpool and I know he values that a lot. He worries a lot about his family and that was something he thought about when he made his decision.

“It was a happy end for both Luis and the club, and he’s having a great season helping the team to move forward.”

Despite Suarez’s show of commitment, his future remains the subject of speculation. That is bound to intensify in the summer if the Reds fail to land a Champions League spot but Lucas is relaxed.

He said: “In football anything can happen in any transfer window.

“It’s hard to say what’s going to happen in six months time.

“But at the moment I just don’t see Luis thinking about leaving. He’s scoring goals and he’s doing well at Liverpool – this is everything he wanted.”