Brendan Rodgers has admitted that there is no timetable for Daniel Sturridge's return to action with Liverpool after he completed his first training session since undergoing hip surgery.
The striker will not be ready for this weekend's trip to Manchester United, but the manager believes that he is fitter than he has been for the last 18 months.
Rodgers also spoke about the rivalry between his team and Louis van Gaal's side.
Read what else was discussed at the press conference below.
Good afternoon! Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will be speaking to the media in around 15 minutes as he prepares his side for a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the Premier League.
The international break probably came at the wrong time for Liverpool, as they've spent the last two weeks waiting for the chance to put their 3-0 loss to West Ham behind them. They played most of the second half of that match a man short following Philippe Coutinho's sending off, meaning the Brazilian will be suspended this weekend.
Here are England internationals Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner back in training with their club. Those two look like they've returned from international duty unscathed, and hopefully Rodgers will provide an update on the rest of his squad's fitness this afternoon:
PHOTO: @Nathaniel_Clyne and James Milner show off their skills after a successful international break with England pic.twitter.com/iNkVlUInJk
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 10, 2015
The manager will surely also be asked about Daniel Sturridge. It was revealed that the striker returned to training yesterday after undergoing hip surgery earlier this year. He hasn't played since Liverpool's win over Blackburn in the FA Cup in April.
Rodgers will be hoping that his side has a good run throughout September, with a difficult run of fixtures coming up next month. After this fixture, Liverpool have home games against Norwich City and Aston Villa, but they then face back-to-back away games against Everton and Tottenham, before going to Chelsea at the end of October.
As the manager should be making his way out to speak to the media any moment now, there's just time to remind you that we'll have live coverage of this match from two hours before kickoff. We'll also bring you all the team news, post-match reaction, player ratings and plenty more, so make sure you join us from 3.30pm tomorrow to see if Liverpool can avoid a second straight loss in the league.
As it looks like Rodgers is running a few minutes later this afternoon, Steven Gerrard has been speaking more about his decision to leave the club. He admitted that he would have stayed if he's been offered a role on the coaching staff.
Liverpool have struggled in front of goal so far this season, scoring just two goals in their first four matches, the joint-lowest in the division along with Newcastle and Watford. New signing Christian Benteke got one of those, and the pressure will surely be on the Belgian to find the target.
Liverpool have won just two of their last eight matches against Manchester United, but that includes a 3-0 win at Old Trafford in March last year. Louis van Gaal's side did the double over the Reds in the 2014-15 campaign though, including securing a 2-1 win at Anfield less than six months ago.
It looks like Liverpool will be facing Manchester United keeper David de Gea this weekend. The Spaniard hasn't featured for his club since the start of the season, having been linked with a move to Real Madrid, but has now penned a four-year contract extension with the club.
Right then, the manager is finally in place, so let's see what he has to say this week.
Rodgers starts with an update on his squad's fitness, confirming: "Sturridge returned to training but there's no timeline on when he will play in games. We'll see about Henderson and Lallana over the next 24 hours."
On the team's lack of goals so far this season, Rodgers insists: "We've created more chances to score more than the goals we have. I know we will improve as the season goes on."
He adds: "Our tally of goals will increase as the season goes on. Daniel will help with that. He looks really sharp in training, the fittest he's looked for 18 months."
Turning his attention to this weekend's match, Rodgers admits: "This is the biggest derby game in the history of the league, winning a game like this can give you a psychological boost. This game comes on the back of the international break, so we've had virtually no time to work with the players. Some only arrived back yesterday."
On the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United, Rodgers tells reporters: "United is a huge club and will always be under scrutiny. I think the intensity is still there. The players will feel it, it's always a huge game. It's still two sets of supporters that are very passionate about their teams."
Having lost in their last match, both sides will be hoping for the win, but Rodgers doesn't think that will be a distraction: "It's however the games come, you know you're going to have to deal with them. The players are focused and we will be ready. It's a good opportunity for us on the back of a disappointment."
Rodgers is asked how his side will approach this match, and he reveals: "We've had two tough games away from home and performed well in terms of our organisation. We also want to be really creative."
Rodgers faces a question about Dejan Lovren's performance in the defeat to West Ham, and he believes the defender will bounce back from his mistakes: "Dejan knows we performed below the level in that game. He knows he made a mistake but it was about the collective. In his first three games this season, Dejan showed he has the quality and consistency to perform well, now he has to show character. I'm sure he can do that."
Well, that's all from Brendan Rodgers this week. The manager sounded positive ahead of the match against one of Liverpool's fiercest rivals, and seems genuinely delighted at the prospect of Sturridge's return.
That concludes our coverage of Rodgers's press conference, but join us again tomorrow from 3.30pm to see whether Liverpool can return to winning ways. Until then, thanks for joining me this afternoon. Goodbye.
