Gerrard pins recovery hopes on foot surgery

Steven Gerrard will have surgery on his broken metatarsal bone to prevent further delay to his recovery.

The England international is set to have a screw inserted into his foot after consultation with a surgeon and Liverpool medical staff. Gerrard insists he will be back in action in six weeks after undergoing the operation to correct the injury picked up in last month's match with Manchester United.

The 24-year-old is expecting surgery will speed up his rehabilitation rather than delay it.

"In a way it's good and bad news for me," he said. "No one likes to have to go into hospital for an operation, but if it's going to get me back playing on schedule it's better for me.

"I spoke to the surgeon yesterday [Tuesday] and he explained that if I just left the bone to heal normally I could have been looking at another eight weeks out. By having a screw inserted in my foot, the bone will set in place and heal a lot quicker. I'm still looking at another six weeks from now, but the operation isn't because of a new problem. It's just a way of getting me fit sooner."

Gerrard's Anfield team-mate Harry Kewell has also suffered an injury setback as he looks to kick-start his season.

The winger is a doubt for Australia's Confederations Cup qualifying tie with the Solomon Islands on Saturday as he struggles with a groin injury.

Kewell has travelled to the southern hemisphere to join the team for the two-legged fixture, but is expected to miss out on the first encounter, with coach Frank Farina likely to save him for the second leg.

The former Leeds player has been undergoing eight hours of treatment on his groin every day since arriving in Brisbane and missed training on Tuesday.