EARLY injury return confirmed for Liverpool defender

One of the Reds' defenders is now expected to return from injury sooner than initially thought.

A number of fitness issues plagued some of Liverpool's defensive stars in the summer, and for some, it's taken up until now for the the physio and medical staff to give the all-clear.

Conor Bradley, for example, missed the opening three Premier League games, alongside a major chunk of pre-season because of his concerns. Likewise, Jeremie Frimpong has gone down with hamstring troubles on three different occasions already this season, and he remains sidelined.

23-year-old loanee Owen Beck hasn't even been as fortunate as that, having spent August, September and October off the pitch and it's only now that he's nearing the end of time away.

Return expected BEFORE the November international break

In an article from the Derby Telegraph, it's been confirmed by County boss John Eustace that a plan has been mapped out for Beck to return to action sooner rather than later - a mere three weeks away.

The Welshman had torn his hamstring during the summer and he's been left to watch his teammates compete without him in the 15 games he's missed so far this season, although he might be given the green light to join up with Derby's U23s and B team, before potentially being unleashed next week.

When asked about Beck's efforts to return to fitness, Eustace said: "He's done everything asked of him. He's trained with the group all week, so it's important we don't really push Beck.

"I think that's nearly 10 days he's trained with the group now, so we'll be looking for some game time next week at some point, not so much with us, but with the 23s maybe.

"If he can get back into contention for after the international break, that would be amazing."

We've known how much of a professional Beck is for a while. He's been a Liverpool player for seven years, growing up in the academy and occasionally managing to break through into the first-team.

Several loan moves have been sanctioned over the past four years, with the left-back featuring for Bolton, Dundee, Blackburn Rovers, and now Derby County, and it appears as though he'll be sent on his way at the end of the season following the expiration of his contract. He'll become a free agent.

Given the context of Wales potentially qualifying for the World Cup at the end of the season, Beck will be desperate to get himself playing regular football as soon as possible to get himself back into contention for Craig Bellamy's squad, if the Dragons can get the job done in the next few months.

In spite of his Derby affiliation, Beck is still a Red. We wish him all the best in his recovery efforts.

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