"We are hoping that he will be able to travel with us to the Amsterdam tournament but there is no point him going to the Far East," said Houllier. "We are hoping he will play in the second game of the Amsterdam tournament. We will have to wait and see.
"Obviously it is a disappointment but it is not too serious. He should get the fitness work to make himself available from the start of the season.
"It should not be a problem for us. He will stay behind and should be able to do some gym work, some cyclingand maybe some running by the end of the week. It is sore and it is a problem, but it is just a strain. The problem is he won't be able to do any ball work for a while."