Kieron Dyer, the West Ham United midfielder, is targeting a Christmas return to competitive football after 15 months out with a career-threatening injury.

The 29-year-old broke his leg against Bristol Rovers in a Carling Cup tie in August 2007, less than a fortnight after joining the London club from Newcastle United, but is set to feature in a friendly this week.

He has had three operations on the injury and was close to returning at the start of this season until he suffered a stress fracture in training and was ruled out for another three months.

Dyer will not feature in the Premier League match at Liverpool tonight, but West Ham have organised a behind-closed-doors friendly this week especially for him and Jonathan Spector, who is also returning from a long-term injury.

"It will be great to get that first game under my belt," Dyer said. "I'm not going to say I'm going to be thrown straight back into the first team. Ideally I will have three or four preparation games and then be ready, perhaps for the Christmas period.

"Every day I feel sharper and I do believe now I need to make up for lost time. My 30th birthday is coming up later this month and some players start to look toward the end of their careers when they reach that milestone. With the amount of football I've missed though, I feel I have a good five years still left in me."

Dyer, who has won 33 England caps, added: "Gianfranco Zola has been good to me. On his first day he called me into his office and said he remembered playing against me."