As we approach the heavy Christmas period of the Premier League campaign, is the injury to Lucas Leiva as damaging to Liverpool’s season as it may appear, or does Kenny Dalglish have other options waiting in the wings?

In a Liverpool side where much of the early focus has been on reshaping the attack following the departure of Fernando Torres and the long-term absence of captain Steven Gerrard, is it a surprise that Lucas has quietly gone about his business and become one of Liverpool’s most important players?

Rafa Benitez put much faith in the Brazilian. who arrived from Gremio in 2007, but the midfielder maybe struggled to adapt to the pace and strength of most teams in the Premier League. But despite the changing of personnel in the Liverpool dugout, Lucas kept his place in the first team. And amid calls from Liverpool’s own supporters that the player was not good enough, he continued to develop and finally come into his own under Kenny Dalglish. Described as the side’s most improved player in recent times, Lucas plays the important role of breaking up opposition attacks and recycling the ball to more creative team-mates.

But in light of his shock injury last week, who can Kenny Dalglish turn to in the Liverpool setup and should the approaching January window be considered an option?

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Jay Spearing, who made his first Premier League appearance of the season in Monday’s defeat to Fulham, is the most obvious and likely candidate to fill the void. In spite of a number of extremely impressive performances at the backend of last season, Spearing has struggled to work his way into the Liverpool starting XI this season. However, against Fulham he displayed the kind of positional awareness and maturity that far exceeded his age. He worked well with Charlie Adam in the midfield, each player covering for the other as they advanced toward the Fulham defence. His debateable sending off may complicate matters further for Liverpool in their immediate future, as the club have decided against appealing the red card.

The tough-tackling midfielder has also received backing from Jamie Carragher, who insists the player can take up Lucas’ position in the side and perform to a high level. Spearing captained the Liverpool Under 18s who won the FA Youth Cup in 2007 and his transition into the first team at Anfield has proven to be a success.

Another option for Liverpool will be to look at loan options through the upcoming transfer window. The availability of defensive-midfielders, however, may come as an issue with few teams looking to depart with their best players midway through the season.

A three-match ban looms for Jay Spearing, a disappointment considering the impressive performance he displayed during his time on the pitch at Craven Cottage. But the few appearances he’s made so far this season should go a long way to prove to his manager that he is the right candidate. A Liverpool local who always looks to perform to the highest level for the club, this may be his best chance of securing a place as a regular in the starting XI.

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