Rafa Benitez is hopeful of having Daniel Agger available within 'a few weeks' despite the Danish international requiring back surgery.
The 24-year-old missed much of pre-season with a recurring back complaint and will now undergo an operation.
Benitez told Liverpoolfc.tv: "Yes, he saw a specialist and maybe he will need an operation.
"I don't think it will be long. If everything goes well it won't take too much time, maybe a few weeks."
Meanwhile, Benitez will make a late decision on the fitness of Martin Skrtel ahead of Monday's match with Aston Villa.
The Slovakian is still recovering from a clash of heads with Jamie Carragher against Tottenham Hotspur.
"He's training. We had to decide the other day but it was too soon to take any risks. Okay, we'll see on Monday," said the boss.
One player who will be fit despite requiring stitches to his eyebrow after a collision in the 4-0 win over Stoke is Fernando Torres.
"He has some stitches but he's okay," said Benitez. "He's training with his teammates and I think he'll be okay for Monday."
Fear nothing ma , nothing to fear ...