Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish insists the club are taking a common sense approach to Steven Gerrard's long-awaited return from injury.

It seems the captain is unlikely to be ready to face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday, but could be brought back for his first appearance since March in the League Cup tie at Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday.

The England midfielder has not featured since having a groin operation six months ago and then suffering a setback with an infection in his rehabilitation in pre-season.

His presence has not been missed as much as it would have been in previous campaigns, mainly thanks to a significant summer recruitment drive.

We will just see what is right for Steven. There is no rush from us or from him because it has to be common sense.
Kenny Dalglish on Steven Gerrard's return from injury

And Dalglish knows there is no point in bringing him back before he is fully ready with the risk of problems recurring further down the line.

"Steven is progressing very well, Martin Kelly is back training and Fabio [Aurelio] is close to coming back to joining us also," said the Scot.

"We will pick and choose when it is best suited for Steven, whichever games suits him best. We will analyse his recovery and how the progress is; we will do the same for Martin Kelly as we will do for Steven.

"We will just see what is right for Steven. There is no rush from us or from him because it has to be common sense. Everyone who is asked to play will be fit enough to play."

Johnson injured
Dalglish's only real injury concern is defender Glen Johnson, who made his first appearance of the season as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday.

But the right-back suffered a recurrence of a hamstring problem which he sustained in the Reds' final pre-season friendly at home to Valencia over a month ago.

Suggestions are the England defender could be out for another four weeks but Dalglish said they were still waiting for medical reports to determine the extent of the injury.

"We've only got Glen Johnson [injured] really. We are just waiting for some tests to come back and wait for the results," he added.