Van der Vaart ready to return

Rafael van der Vaart could be in contention to play in Tottenham Hotspur's next Premier League match against Liverpool following a rapid recovery from injury.The Dutch playmaker suffered a hamstring injury during Spurs' home defeat by Manchester City last month and was expected to be sidelined for around six weeks.He sat out his country's Euro 2012 qualifiers and was also unavailable for Spurs' first win of the season against Wolves on Saturday.However, the former Ajax ace is optimistic he will be fit for next weekend's home date with Liverpool and could even return against PAOK Salonika in the Europa League on Thursday."I have been treated intensively by (physiotherapist) Dick van Toorn," Van der Vaart told his official website earlier in the week."I was able to do proper turns again and regular sprints. Next weekend seems like no problem to me!"Veteran physio Van Toorn has been impressed by the 28-year-old's recovery and feels he is ready to return to action.Van Toorn said: "In the hospital they said Rafa would be out for more than a month but he can play in next week's Tottenham match."I will leave that decision up to the medical staff of Tottenham."Rafael is a crown jewel for football. I have rarely met a player in all those years who is so dedicated to his job and who wants to work so hard to get back on the pitch." From / BBC