Liverpool injury news: Jordan Henderson hoping for injury return 'sooner rather than later'

Liverpool have been handed a major injury boost after Jordan Henderson revealed that he is on the mend and hopes to make a return "sooner rather than later". The English midfielder suffered a knee ligament damage during the Reds' clash against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Europa League but is hoping to be fit for their summit clash against defending champions Sevilla in Basel on 18 May.

The England international was expected to miss the rest of the season with his latest injury but has stepped up his recovery and is expected to make it before the end of the campaign. The Reds have two more games in the Premier League, against Chelsea on Wednesday (11 May) and West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the campaign. The midfielder, however, is targeting a return for the Europa League final rather than the league games but has made it clear that he will not risk aggravating the injury by rushing his return.

Henderson's return will also be a major boost for England manager Roy Hodgson, who is set to announce his final 23-man squad for June's European Championship finals in France on 12 May. The 26-year-old is one among a number of midfielder's vying for a place in the Three Lions squad for this summer's tournament.

"I'm hoping it will be sooner rather than later. I'm doing everything I can to get back fit as quickly as possible," Henderson told Sky Sports during the launch of Liverpool's home kit for next season.

"I've had a good week so far, so hopefully I can have another good week and see where I am at the end of that. I'm being very positive, I'm working very hard and hopefully it's sooner rather than later.

"That [Europa League final] would be the main priority for me. It would be huge just to be involved and I'd love to be a part of that if I could. At the same time I've got to make sure that my knee is right because I don't want to do myself further damage," he explained.