Former Liverpool stalwart Lucas Leiva undergoing tests on heart issue

Former Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva will undergo tests after the detection of a heart issue forced him to withdraw from training with Gremio.

Lucas made 247 Premier League appearances during a 10-year spell with Liverpool, scoring just one goal in the competition, before joining Serie A giants Lazio in 2017.

The former Brazil international then re-joined Gremio – the club where he began his career – after leaving Italy at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

On Tuesday, Lucas tweeted a statement from the Gremio’s medical department, announcing he would sit out the team’s pre-season preparations while undergoing assessment.

The statement read: “The Gremio medical department communicates that the athlete Lucas Leiva presented, in pre-season routine exams, a picture of having an altered cardiac rhythm.

“Consequently, he is removed from physical activities until the conclusion of complementary exams and treatment of the condition.”

Gremio – who have won the joint-most Copa Libertadores titles of any Brazilian club (three) – won promotion from Brazil’s second tier in 2022 after finishing second.

O Departamento Médico do Grêmio comunica que o atleta Lucas Leiva apresentou, nos exames de rotina da pré-temporada, um quadro de alteração do ritmo cardíaco sendo, por consequência, afastado de atividades físicas até a conclusão de exames complementares e tratamento do quadro. pic.twitter.com/eshY9QYbzt

— Lucas Leiva (@LucasLeiva87) December 13, 2022