Steven Gerrard

[Craig_H]

Even if Gerrard is out for a while, i think and hope we have enough to get us through to January.

[Mostar]

I've openly admitted I did not rate Raul Merieles...But bloody 'ell fire. We look depleted in the middle. Its a shame the **** decide to up and leave so late on so we could not even attempt a replacement and best not even bother talking about no Aquilani.
Good Job where not in the Champions league and the ****s not hit the fan with injuries and a bloody good job that we have an international break coming up after this week.

TBH we did this to ourselves.

We had the similar situation last year and we let Aquilani go on a loan and then we struggled as Stevie was injured and J. Cole wasn't what we hoped for.

This year many pointed to the fact that if Stevie gets injured again or doesn't recover adequately from groin injury we'll be extra lean in the midfield and should keep Aquilani and instead we let him leave again and then we compounded the issue with selling Raul without finding the replacement first.

Given how things are unfortunately developing with Stevie we should be looking for some new players hopefully in January if anybody decent is available.

[Mostar]

Even if Gerrard is out for a while, i think and hope we have enough to get us through to January.

That's the key.

Will we be activaly trying to sign a quality player in January and if anybody good will be available.

[Mostar]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8858802/Liverpool-captain-Steven-Gerrard-facing-the-agony-of-lengthy-injury-lay-off-due-to-an-infected-ankle.html

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard facing the agony of lengthy injury lay-off due to an infected ankle



Gerrard had fluid drained from the ankle at a Liverpool hospital yesterday and the club are now awaiting to gauge the effect of that procedure.

There are fears, however, that the injury will force Gerrard out for a prolonged spell.

Confirmation of the recovery time is likely to arrive tomorrow, but there was a grim mood at Anfield as the captain received treatment.

Gerrard is understood to be distraught that what seemed to be an innocuous cut on his ankle, sustained in training last week, has developed into a potentially more serious problem.

The 31 year-old Liverpool stalwart has only recently returned to Premier League action after a six month absence due to an unrelated groin problem, and he was just regaining his full match fitness. He has endured a nightmarish few months, and is believed to be devastated at the prospect of a further prolonged absence.

This latest setback means Gerrard is certain to miss England's forthcoming friendlies with Spain and Sweden on Nov 12 and 15, games which manager Fabio Capello is using to assess his options for Euro 2012.

Liverpool were already eager for Gerrard to be used sparingly by the Italian due to his long absence from the previous injury, but Capello will now know there is no possibility the player will be available for selection.

That will be a source of immense frustration to Gerrard, who has not appeared for his country since the friendly defeat by France last November, but it is the injury’s impact on the player himself and Liverpool’s quest to regain a Champions League place which will be of greater concern for his club.

Much of the stress will be caused by the bewilderment about how and why the injury deteriorated so badly in the 24 hours before Liverpool’s 2-0 win at The Hawthorns.

Gerrard travelled with the rest of the Liverpool squad to the Midlands on Friday.

He was already in some discomfort due to the knock he sustained on the ankle, but it was anticipated it would heal quickly and he would be fit to face Roy Hodgson’s side.

Instead, it got worse and on Saturday morning it was clear he would not be fit for selection and Gerrard returned to Merseyside for treatment.

The latest setback has come in the midst of key period of the season.

Liverpool play Swansea in the Premier League next weekend and have high-profile fixtures with Chelsea and Manchester City following the international break, as well as a Carling Cup tie at Stamford Bridge.

Manager Kenny Dalglish is as concerned as Gerrard to establish the full extent of the damage.

He had hoped on Saturday it would only be a minor knock and the player would be fit within a week.

“Steven has got an infection in his ankle. He was in our minds for the game, it just flared up,” explained Dalglish.

“It’s nothing to do with any injuries before, it’s an infection.

"I suppose it’s like having an abscess on your mouth.

"We can be more accurate next week than we can be just now.”

Any optimistic assessment of a swift return has certainly evaporated over the last 24 hours, however, and yesterday Gerrard was photographed leaving hospital on crutches.

By his own admission, it has been one of the most physically and emotionally stressful times of Gerrard’s career since he underwent groin surgery before the end of last season.

That operation cured a long-standing muscle injury which had forced Gerrard to consistently undergo pain killing injections in order to play.

His rehabilitation was further complicated by an infection which did not clear up properly, delaying his return this season by three months.

Gerrard said at the time he feared he may never return after that setback.

“There were times when I was as low as I’ve ever been as a footballer,” Gerrard said recently.

“I think it’s only natural that you have doubts and different things do cross your mind from time to time.”

Gerrard has made just five appearances this season, and marked his first start with a goal against Manchester United earlier this month.

He thought his luck had changed and he could look ahead to a successful campaign alongside Dalglish’s new signings, but he has barely been able to forge an on-field relationship with the recent acquisitions.

Indeed, Gerrard, Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll still have not started a fixture in the same line-up.

[Kenneth]

[IN_RAFA_WE_TRUST]

He'll be back sooner than you all think.

I still remember how some of you were moaning about having too many midfielders, like it was a bad thing.
Look at us now.

I really do hope we end up buying some potential world class midfielder or two. very soon.

[Craig_H]

Ah, so it was a cut on the ankle. I knew i'd heard that somewhere.

[The_weatherman]

Bad news but we'll cope and we'll have to adjust to life after Gerrard, he wont be dragging us out of trouble forever. Might highlight the need for another top class addition.

Must be very hard on him though.

[Lee]

It's a nightmare, I'm pretty worried for his fitness/future.

Definitely. He's played non-stop since the age of 17 or 18 hasn't he?! No wonder injuries are starting to take their toll on him.

Ha! you don't get a plaster like that for an ankle infection.

That's what I thought too.

Very strange this one.

[RedReet]

How's Shelvey doing at Blackpool? Has he did much since that debut goal?

[Reece]

How's Shelvey doing at Blackpool? Has he did much since that debut goal?

Scored a decent goal against Burnley at the weekend, although they lost 3-1.

[RedReet]

[cream]

An infection isn't really an injury is it?

Hopefully this won't have an affect on his his long term fitness.

[Corndog]

Its strange that he never has this problem and then he gets two infections in one season early on...perhaps he has some sort of immune system deficiency...

[cream]

Did he not have calcification issues last time?