SKRTEL STAYING?

After the arrival of defender Kolo Toure from Manchester city on a free transfer, there has been a lot of speculation about the future of defender Martin Skrtel at the club. The Slovakian defender played very little football in the second half of the season.

It has been heavily rumoured that Skrtel has fallen out with manager Brendan Rodgers, and he is thought to be on his way out of the club. The defender had been linked with a move to Napoli in the last few weeks, but no official offer has materialised so far. A move to Napoli will reunite him with former manager Rafa Benitez, who was responsible for bringing him to Anfield.

Skrtel's participation in the opening Premier league match of the season against Stoke city is also in doubt due to the knee injury suffered by the player. As a result of the injury, the player was not also seen at the recent international friendly matches. Slovakia played against Romania in a friendly match. The defender, though, has expressed his confidence that he will be able to fit by the time the Premier league kicks off on Saturday. The Slovakian media asked him about the absence from international duty, and Skrtel revealed that his club did not allow him to leave.

"The MRI scan confirmed that I have pulled ligaments in my left knee. It is nothing serious but when I want to put full weight on the knee or I kick the ball, it hurts a lot. I believe that I will resume training in the next few days. Anything is possible. There are alternatives, but the current priority for me is to be healthy again. So far the manager of Napoli, Rafael Benitez, has not called me," said Skrtel about his injury and also his future.