The Football Association has postponed Burnley midfielder Joey Barton's gambling disciplinary hearing, leaving the door open for him to face Liverpool next weekend.
Barton recently accepted a misconduct charge for breaching rules after it emerged that he had placed 1,260 bets on football matches over the past 10 years.
The 34-year-old, who rejoined Burnley from Rangers in January, was expected to be handed a lengthy ban - potentially running to the end of the season when his short-term deal with the Clarets expires.
However, the FA has been forced to delay the hearing due to the ill health of a chief investigator, meaning that Everton supporter Barton can feature in next weekend's trip to Anfield.
Barton, currently carrying a slight hamstring strain, has featured 10 times for Burnley since returning to the club earlier this year.
