Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has refused to rule out Jordan Henderson for the rest of the season and is confident the midfielder's injury problems will be over by the summer at the latest.
Henderson, 26, has been sidelined since February with a foot injury and has not yet returned to team training at Melwood.
Klopp insists there is no definitive timescale on the England international's return, but added that he expects to at least have his captain back fully fit when preseason starts in July.
When asked how much longer Henderson would be out, Klopp was quoted by the Liverpool Echo as saying: "It is too early to say. Next season is the latest moment of course but anything can happen. We stay positive because he is strong.
"The moment someone gives him the green light he will be back in a second because of his attitude and character. I am not thinking about the start of preseason but that would be the latest moment he is back.
"Like it is always, you wish a ligament was snapped. Then you know if you fix it or wait for it, it will be six weeks, eight weeks or whatever. This is the kind of issue where you have to wait. That is how the body is sometimes.
"Jordan can manage really well. It was the medical department that said he has to rest. We still have to."
Despite Henderson last playing for Liverpool on Feb. 11, if fit, Klopp says he would consider the midfielder for selection in the final two matches of the 2016-17 campaign.
Klopp also failed to rule Henderson out of contention for England's fixtures with Scotland and France on June 10 and June 13 respectively.
"We have not made a final judgement for this season," he added. "We don't know if he will back tomorrow in training or next week.
"Because it is Jordan and he has a really high fitness level, even if it's just swimming, we know we can think about him immediately when he is ready.
"Then we could think about the national team. If he has games he could play, if not it makes no sense. But no we did not speak."