Gerrard recovery on track

Liverpool - Liverpool on Wednesday moved to assuage concerns about the fitness of captain Steven Gerrard by declaring that they expect him to be fit for the start of pre-season training.

The 33-year-old midfielder underwent shoulder surgery towards the end of the 2012-13 campaign, forcing him to miss Liverpool's last two matches, as well as England's friendly games with the Republic of Ireland and Brazil.

British media reports on Wednesday claimed Gerrard faced "a race against time" to return to fitness in time for next season, but Liverpool insist his rehabilitation programme remains on schedule.

"The club can report that Gerrard's recovery remains fully on track," read a statement on the Liverpool website.

"As stated originally, the club's medical team are confident that the midfielder is on schedule for his comeback and expect Gerrard to be fit and ready for pre-season training."