Liverpool are "happy" with the progress of Kaide Gordon as the teenager continues his recovery after more than a year on the sidelines.
Gordon, who made his first-team breakthrough for the Reds in impressive fashion last season, hasn't featured at any level since the 3-0 Premier League 2 defeat at Leeds United on February 7 last year.
The 18-year-old suffered a pelvic problem linked to his physical growth and has for some time been following a specialised training programme aimed at bolstering his fitness.
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Gordon was back running on the pitch at Kirkby in December but has still to take part in regular ball work with Liverpool mindful of not overburdening the youngster.
And under-21s boss Barry Lewtas has offered an update on Gordon's ongoing rehabilitation with the Reds reluctant to set a target for a possible comeback.
"It's tough for him," said Lewtas to the ECHO. "He is still loading up and building up. We will see where he goes. We still see him every day. Sometimes in rehab you have to build people up slowly, and once you do get going you have to speed things up.
"We are not putting any real pressure on him. In long rehabilitations, there can be setbacks. Tom Hill and Layton Stewart both had setbacks from their injuries, for example.
"You have to be really careful with Kaide that we don't put any false promises on anything. At the minute we are happy with where we are with him, and he is happy in terms of how he is progressing.
"It will be great to have him back in the fold and hopefully we can do soon enough."
Liverpool have been keen to make sure Gordon remains involved with the senior squad, with the teenager travelling to Austria for the pre-season training camp and later to Dubai for the mid-season warm-weather camp during the World Cup break. He was last photographed in December running on the pitch at the AXA Training Centre while working alongside rehabilitation fitness coach Dave Rydings.
Gordon, signed from Derby County in February 2021 in a deal that could be worth £3million, made his senior Liverpool debut aged just 16 in the League Cup win at Norwich City in September 2021.
He went on to become the second-youngest scorer in the club's history when netting on his FA Cup bow against Shrewsbury Town in January 2022 and then made his Premier League debut from the bench against Brentford the following week, before becoming the youngest Liverpool player to start a major semi-final when featuring in the League Cup second leg win at Arsenal.
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