"Lucas has had criticism from people, and for me that's unfair. He's a young lad still learning his trade," said the captain.
"He does a lot of hard work that goes unnoticed in this team by many people, but we as players notice it.
"He's come in to a lot of big games where the manager has basically said to him 'it's sink or swim'. And for me he has swam.
"He's done very well for us when he's been called upon, and he's certainly got a bright future here."