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Sturridge had only just recovered from a thigh strain sustained on international duty with England

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is facing up to a further month out after suffering a calf strain in training.

Sturridge, 25, had just recovered from a thigh strain sustained on England duty in September.

He has played only three Premier League games this season and may miss the next seven matches, including both Champions League meetings with Real Madrid.

"He's looking at being out for two to four weeks," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo. external-link

"It's a big blow as we were looking forward to welcoming Daniel back. He has worked tirelessly.

"But we have other players training hard and working hard and we will turn to them. It's why we bulked up the squad in the summer."

Sturridge, who scored 25 goals in all competitions last season, was expected to return in Liverpool's Premier League match at QPR on Sunday.

The injury he suffered after England's 1-0 friendly win at home to Norway led to a disagreement between England manager Roy Hodgson and Rodgers, who said players with pace need extra time to recover.

Hodgson questioned Rodgers's claims after England's 1-0 Euro 2016 qualifying victory in Estonia on 12 October, before which Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling complained of tiredness.

England face Slovenia in a Euro qualifier at Wembley on 15 November, followed by a friendly against Scotland at Celtic Park on 18 November.