"I've heard the rumours that he'll be out for a long time but they are not true," said Houllier. "He is not going to have an amputation.
"He won't be ready for Ljubljana so the target is then Portsmouth. But he'll be back with us sooner rather than later."
Portsmouth's own Dejan Stefanovic is expected to be able to return to face Liverpool after missing Serbia-Montenegro's match with Wales with a hand injury.