Henderson Closing on Return

Over the last week, Liverpool's lengthy injury list has finally begun to shorten. James Milner and Jordon Ibe were both fit enough to face Manchester City, playing key roles in the hammering of the league favourites, while Daniel Sturridge made the matchday squad for the first time since Jürgen Klopp took over as manager.

That the striker wasn't needed was probably for the best, which will give him a few more days in training before a potential appearance against Bordeaux on Thursday. He will be joined by Jordan Henderson, who returned to light training late last week but was never considered in contention to make the bench. By Swansea on Sunday, he should be in the mix.

"I'm getting there," the Liverpool captain told Sky Sports when asked about his potential return to action this week, though for public consumption at least he wasn't willing to set a date for when he expects to be back. "This is one of the longest periods of time I've been out for and it has been a tough one for me, but hopefully I'm not too far away now."

The general consensus is that he won't be rushed back for Thursday, though with Lucas Leiva suspended for next Sunday's league match against Swansea, Henderson could be included on the bench if Klopp feels there would be value in getting him a cameo appearance. Certainly, though, the hope and goal will be that he is fit in time for the weekend.

There's even the chance he's called on to start straight away. Either way, Henderson isn't far off a return, and after spending the past month watching the team make massive strides under Klopp, the hard working midfielder is looking forward to the chance to do his part in pushing on over a busy holiday period in the league, League Cup, and Europa.

"Hopefully that [win against City] can set a standard for us for the rest of the season," added Henderson. "It shows how well we can play, and we just need the consistency to keep playing with the freedom we did on Saturday. The manager has made a big impact. He's been fantastic for Liverpool. Hopefully now we can keep learning and improving."