Dalglish feared worst for Gerrard

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish feared captain Steven Gerrard’s ankle infection could have been a career threatening injury.

“If it wasn’t dealt with properly, it could have been more serious. But he had fantastic treatment. It’s been sorted, it’s been solved,” Dalglish told The Mirror.

“It was a one-off, not relevant to anything else he’s had, so the credit goes to the people who identified the problem.”

“I think it’s getting easier for him now. The hard part was when he was first injured. It was just a freak.”

“He’s done unbelievably well. He does have a really strong character. He’s come through and he’s desperate to play.”

Liverpool are sixth in the Premier League table following Sunday’s 2-0 victory against Aston Villa and have a Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City in the new year.

Despite the amount of fixtures coming up and the importance of his skipper to his plans, Dalglish said he would not rush the 31-year-old back until he was fit.

“We always say, when we have him fit we’ll have a much stronger squad of players, so we will be better off when he’s ready to come back.”

“The boys will be glad to see him back on the training pitch and on the pitch on match days as well. But we won’t put him under any pressure or give any deadlines to make his return.”