The striker has been out of action with a thigh injury since England’s friendly against Norway but his manager is hopeful that he will be available to face the Reds’ city rivals

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that striker Daniel Sturridge could return for the Merseyside derby on September 27.

The England forward was ruled out for up to three weeks after returning from international duty with a thigh injury.

The Reds missed Sturridge badly in their home defeat to Aston Villa and barely coped without him as they scraped past Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old is sidelined for Saturday’s trip to West Ham but Rodgers hopes that he may be fit for the following Premier League match.

“Daniel is doing well and is out on the field doing some work,” the Northern Irishman told the Liverpool Echo.

“He should hopefully be back training at some point next week and will have a chance for the derby.”

Sturridge scored 21 goals in his first full Premier League campaign with Liverpool last season as Rodgers’s side finished second to Manchester City.

The manager brought in eight new faces over the summer but has overseen two losses in their opening four Premier League games

Brendan Rodgers has urged patience as his new-look Liverpool side attempt to hit the heights of last season.

The departure of Luis Suarez and prospect of a first Champions League campaign for five years heralded a raft of new arrivals at Anfield during the off-season.

However, Liverpool have lost two of their opening four Premier League games before requiring a last-minute Steven Gerrard penalty to kick off their continental campaign with a 2-1 win over Ludogorets.

“There is no magic formula. It is just constant work on the training field,” he told reporters. “I remember this time last year I was being asked if we were going to be able to score goals and we ended up with 101.

“It just takes time and patience. We were not playing how we were in February, March, April and May in September.

“It will be the same this year. By the time the second part of the season comes, we will always be stronger. We have had to bring in a lot of players because of the Champions League and that takes time.

“We have got players adapting and I am really pleased with the way they are settling in. My experience tells me we will get stronger and better.”

Brendan Rodgers has confirmed the 21-year-old faces an extended spell on the sidelines, but Daniel Sturridge is set to return to training next week

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Jon Flanagan will be sidelined “for a few months” after undergoing knee surgery.

The 21-year-old defender made 25 appearances last season but has yet to feature this term having been hampered by injury during the club’s tour of the United States earlier this summer.

“Young Jon Flanagan, unfortunately, has just had an operation that will probably have him out for a few months – which is disappointing,” Rodgers told the club’s official website.

The Liverpool manager also revealed that Daniel Sturridge is set resume training next week after picking up a thigh injury during the international break with England.

“Martin Skrtel is back training with the team, which is great news for us,” the Northern Irishman enthused. “Glen Johnson should be back training over the course of the weekend.

“Daniel Sturridge should hopefully be back training at some point next week. Joe Allen is still out and he’ll be out for a few weeks yet.”