Steven Gerrard is hoping to make his Liverpool comeback in time for the New Year.
The Reds captain returned to light training last week after spending five weeks on the treatment table following an ankle infection sustained at the end of October.
Gerrard had targeted this Sunday's visit to Aston Villa as his original return date, affirmed by the club's initial announcement that their talismanic skipper would be missing for a fortnight.
The 31-year-old was ruled out of action for six months after undergoing two rounds of groin surgery following his participation in last season's win over Manchester United in March.
It resulted in Gerrard making his lowest number of appearances for the club in all competitions since forcing his first-team breakthrough during the 1998-99 campaign
An infection at the end of July prolonged his rehabilitation by a further two months, putting paid to plans for a comeback in a pre-season friendly against Valencia in the process.
Since his return in the Carling Cup win over Brighton in September, Gerrard made substitute appearances against Wolves and Everton before netting in his first start, again against United.
Another 90-minute outing followed seven days later against Norwich before he was sidelined with this latest infection, which required immediate surgery and a protective cast.
But he is now expected to feature in Liverpool's final fixture of 2011 against Newcastle United on December 30, which will end his injury-plagued year on something of a positive.
The timing of Gerrard's return will help aid Kenny Dalglish's selection headache in filling the void left by Lucas Leiva's season-ending injury, picked up against Chelsea last month.
Jordan Henderson partnered Charlie Adam for Saturday's win over Queens Park Rangers but is likely to be restored to the right-wing as Liverpool face a gruelling January schedule.
Three meetings with Manchester City, in the Premier League and Carling Cup semi-final, await the Anfield outfit as does an FA Cup third round tie and away trips to Bolton and Wolves.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have also been given additional time to respond to the Football Association's charges relating to last Monday's defeat at Fulham.
Luis Suarez, who scored against QPR on Saturday, was charged with improper conduct after he displayed an offensive hand gesture towards the Craven Cottage fans following the game.
Dalglish was also charged with failing to control his players after referee Kevin Friend claimed he felt intimidated following Jay Spearing's instant dismissal in his report of the 1-0 reversal.
Elsewhere, it has been revealed that Toronto FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei will become the second Major League Soccer (MLS) player to train with Liverpool this month.
The 25-year-old, who is the second-cousin of legendary Swiss striker Alexander Frei, will spend a week at the club's Melwood training base as part of his MLS off-season training.
New York Red Bulls striker Juan Agudelo enjoyed a brief spell on Merseyside in a similar arrangement, with the new American season due to kick off on March 10, 2012.
"This is a great opportunity for Stefan and we were happy to give him permission to train with a historic club like Liverpool," said Toronto manager Aron Winter.
"He has emerged as one of the top keepers in the league since the start of his career and has certainly earned this special opportunity."
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