Kenny won't rush Gerrard return

Reds boss yet to decide on midfielder's comeback date

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish insists he will not rush Steven Gerrard back into action, while Glen Johnson has been ruled out of Sunday's trip to Tottenham.

Reds skipper Gerrard has been unavailable so far this season due to an ongoing groin injury.

The 31-year-old has not played for club or country since March after undergoing surgery on the problem.

It was suggested the trip to White Hart Lane was earmarked as Gerrard's return to the squad, but Dalglish is refusing to make any decision on the midfielder's long-awaited return.

"Obviously Steven is progressing well. Martin Kelly is back in training too. Fabio (Aurelio) is also close to coming back and joining us," said Dalglish.

Analyse

Asked if the skipper would feature against Tottenham or Brighton in the Carling Cup next week, Dalglish added: "We'll pick and choose when is best for Steven.

"We'll decide which game suits him best. We'll analyse his progress like we do with everybody. We'll do the same for Martin Kelly.

"Everybody that is asked to play will be fit enough to play. We'll just wait and see - there is no rush. We've just got to use common sense."

Johnson is waiting to find out the full extent of his new hamstring injury after he suffered a relapse of the problem when appearing as a late substitute in the defeat to Stoke last weekend.

"We've only got Glen Johnson (out) really," noted Dalglish. "We are just waiting for some test results to come back. We'll take it on from there."