Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, has targeted Tuesday’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers for his return from injury.

It had been feared Gerrard would spend a minimum of two weeks on the sidelines with the hamstring strain he picked up in the FA Cup defeat by Reading last Wednesday. However, he has responded well to treatment and is expected to return to training this weekend.

“I’m hoping to return in time for the Wolves game next week, that’s my target,” Gerrard said. “It’s always a nightmare for me when I’m injured and I can’t help the team.”

A more realistic target may be the following Saturday’s match with Bolton Wanderers at Anfield, nevertheless the news is a further lift for Liverpool, at the end of a week in which they closed the gap on fourth place to a point with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool were without Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun and Glen Johnson but performed admirably in the absence of that injured quartet.

Rafael Benitez has also revealed that Torres’s recuperation from knee surgery is going to plan and the Spanish striker remains on course to return within six weeks. Torres underwent surgery in Barcelona last Saturday after damaging knee ligaments against Reading.

“The problem was with his knee and now everything is fine,” Benitez said. “Fernando has been talking with the doctor and it was better than they were expecting. It is still going to be five or six weeks before he is fit but all is good.”

Gerrard poised to return to the fold