Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge are both ahead of schedule in their recovery from injuries.
The Reds have been without the key duo for the entire festive fixture list, with Sturridge having already missed a month of action and Gerrard yet to feature since damaging his hamstring against West Ham United.
The club captain was expected to miss at least six weeks of action, but Rodgers has suggested that he may return a fortnight earlier than anticipated when Hull City visit Anfield on New Year's Day, while announcing that Sturridge is also making promising progress recuperating from his ankle problem.
"Steven has rejoined training, so we'll see how he is for Hull," Rodgers told reporters. "We will assess that in the next 24 hours. By the Stoke game we'll have a number of the others who will not be too far away.
"Daniel is ahead of schedule. He might not be too far over the next few weeks. He was out running the other day doing straight-line running and he is now doing more multi-directional running and then training next week and he will have a good week of training.
"Over the next couple of weeks we will get those players back and it will look a lot brighter for us."
Sturridge and Gerrard have made 27 Premier League appearances for the Merseyside outfit between them this term, scoring nine and three goals respectively.
Joe Fish
