Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez on Monday played down fears over Steven Gerrard’s fitness for the start of the season.
The captain has returned to Melwood after leaving the Swiss training camp with a groin problem.
‘Steven has a groin problem, it's not serious but he cannot train and he wouldn't be available for this game so we decided to send him back to Melwood for training,’ Benitez told the club’s website.
‘He should be okay in about a week. It's not serious but there’s no sense to keep him here being unable to train or play.’
Although set to miss Tuesday's friendly against Hertha Berlin in Germany, Gerrard could be in contention for the trip to Villarreal on July 30.
