Just in time for the midweek international friendly between England and Germany, midfielder Steven Gerrard has picked up a minor knock which will keep him out for 7-10 days.

Much like Man United’s Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, Gerrard has been removed from the squad for the trip to Berlin.

The cynics among us might see this as a wonderful move by both the player and manager Rafa Benitez with the friendly being rather pointless and Liverpool having much more important matches in the coming weeks; with Fulham next Saturday and Marseille the following Wednesday. Some might even suggest it is something Alex Ferguson has been doing for years at United.

The official line from LFC is that Gerrard suffered a thigh strain in the win over Bolton.

Liverpool fans will see this as a much needed rest for their skipper and if he is back for the Fulham match all the better, but if not most will feel happy with Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano performing impressively of late.