The Liverpool captain picked up a groin injury in the Merseyside derby last month and the initial prognosis stipulated that Henderson would be out for five weeks.
But Southgate’s latest proclamation could mean that Henderson has suffered a setback on his road to full recovery which has seen him miss the Three Lions’ opening FIFA World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.
"We know it's going to be close to the end of the season and we will just have to see how it goes," Southgate said.
"We are conscious that with any injury of that nature, there is a guide and a time defined but that anything can happen along the way.
"In terms of promises, we can only say that Hendo himself is very optimistic about how the operation went and the prognosis that the specialist has given him as to what is possible.
"We also know he is likely to be a bit short of match minutes in high-level games. There are a lot of things to take into consideration but, at the moment, that is a decision that is a few weeks away."
Henderson has won 58 caps for England since making his debut in 2010 and was instrumental in their run to the world cup semi-finals in Russia in 2018.
