Dr Clanton, who helped the Rockets' Chinese centre Yao Ming recover from a stress fracture in his left foot last year, will operate on the Achilles' injury that robbed Liu of his chance to defend his Olympic title at August's Beijing Games.

'He has performed surgery on Yao Ming before. This is the main reason for selecting (Clanton),' Mr Feng Shuyong, vice-director of the China Athletics Administrative Centre, told a report posted on the website of the Chinese Athletic Association.

'Apart from that, Yao Ming and his family are in Houston, and can help take care of (Liu), so there is no reason to go anywhere else,' Mr Feng said.

Liu, who hobbled from the track minutes before his first-round heat in Beijing, would fly to Houston on Wednesday, with surgery 'basically fixed' for Friday, media portal Sina.com said in a separate report on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old would remain in the US after the operation to recuperate, which was expected to take at least six months.

Liu last month told reporters in Monte Carlo he was unsure he would be fit to defend his world title in Berlin next August. -- REUTERS