Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers refused to rule out the possibility of Daniel Sturridge starting from the off against Everton this Saturday.
The 25-year-old returned from a five-month injury against West Ham United a week ago, scoring just 12 minutes after coming onto the field and he managed a further 20-minute cameo in mid-week against Bolton in the FA Cup.
Sturridge is not yet at from full fitness, but given his sublime finishing and his sheer presence on the pitch, reporters at Melwood for Rodgers' press conference on Thursday were keen to find out how far the English international is away from a starting spot and whether he could be in surprise contention for a place in the manager's starting eleven this weekend.
Rodgers replied: "Every player wants to play, not just Daniel. You go into each game and every player that gets paid here at the football club wants to play.
"Daniel is coming along very well. It's not that he won't start, [but] we need to analyse that over the next couple of days. We shall see."
"He is not far away from starting. I need to speak with my staff and Daniel and make a decision," said Rodgers. "If he wasn’t to start at Everton then he would be in with a great chance to start against Tottenham [on Tuesday]."
The Northern Irishman added: "It is about liaising with Daniel and the medical team in terms of the risk but he is not far away from starting now, he is really champing at the bit. We will analyse things over the coming days.
"We want to make sure he is going to be available now for the rest of the season," the Liverpool manager said. "If the timing is not quite right it can damage us and hurt us, but his appetite to play is there which is great. I need to speak with my staff and Daniel and make a decision. It is difficult because these are games that we want to win, they are not fitness games. We want to win football matches so it is hard if someone only needs 30 or 45 minutes."
Rodgers also provided an update on a trio of other first-team players who missed the trip to Bolton on Wednesday, as Lazar Markovic left the field after sustaining a back injury at the Macron Stadium.
"We'll see tomorrow [on Markovic]," said Rodgers. "Dejan Lovren and Mario Balotelli were out for last night, Lucas Leiva was out as well.
"We'll see. There's nobody definitely ruled out, but we'll see how they are tomorrow."
The upcoming derby will be remembered as Steven Gerrard's 33rd and final Merseyside derby, but it also marks Rodgers' 100th Premier League game in charge of the Reds.
The Northern Irishman took over from Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 2012, winning 53 and drawing 24 of the 99 league games he has so far managed. His Liverpool side came within two points of a title last season, whilst they are now looking like late top four challengers after a miserable start to the 2014-15 campaign.
Rodgers admitted he's loving every second of it. "There’s never a dull week as manager of Liverpool," he said. "I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s an incredible football club.
"To follow in the footsteps of so many incredible managers who were here before me is a huge privilege.
"I love my life here and I only hope I can bring success to the club in my time here by winning trophies.
"At whatever point I leave, I hope I leave something people can be proud of.
"The first two and a half years have been a wonderful experience. From when I came in to now, the club has moved forward.
"Now we need to rubber stamp that identity by getting some silverware."
His Liverpool side can go 15 points ahead of Everton with a victory at Goodison Park on Saturday evening but cannot move any higher than their current position, 7th, as they close in on the Champions League qualification places.