Brendan Rodgers hopeful Adam Lallana will not be out for as long as a month

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful that Adam Lallana will return to action earlier than planned after he suffered a thigh injury.

The England international picked up the problem during the Reds' 2-2 draw with Leicester City on New Year's Day at Anfield.

Lallana is expected to be sidelined for one month, but Rodgers has stressed that there is no specific timescale for the midfielder.

"More or less [a month out], it might be a bit shorter than that," Rodgers told the club's official website. "It's a slight strain that he has. There's no real timeline on it yet, but hopefully it won't be as long as that."

Lallana was absent from last night's third-round FA Cup match, which Liverpool won 2-1 against AFC Wimbledon.