Baros on brink of Reds return

Liverpool striker Milan Baros is on the brink of a first team comeback after five months out injured – which will delight both club and country.

The young Czech striker is destined to be a key figure for his country in the Euro 2004 finals, while Liverpool need his abilities up front to take the weight off Michael Owen’s shoulders.

And now Baros is hoping one more reserve team run-out on Thursday will ensure he at least makes the Liverpool bench for Sunday’s FA Cup fifth round home tie with Portsmouth.

Baros, who will play in the reserves against Aston Villa, said: “There is still a lot to play for this season.

“I want to do well for Liverpool in the remaining games and then look towards the European Championships in the summer.”

Baros broke his ankle at Blackburn in September but believes he is now ready for a return, having made his initial comeback in the reserves against Newcastle last week.

“I am ready now. I probably still need to play one more reserve game and then hopefully I can be on the bench against Portsmouth on Sunday. That decision lies with the manager,” he said.

“I played a reserve game last week and that went well. The conditions were not good on the night and so that made the match difficult to play in, but I did not feel any reaction from the injury and that was the most important thing.

“I have been back in full training for the last three weeks now and I am feeling a lot better. I am still a little bit scared to tackle but that will come with time.

“I do not feel any pain. The last five months have been hard because I have not been able to play, but I feel fine now.”

Baros broke his ankle at Ewood Park back in September after an innocuous tackle from on-loan Liverpool defender Markus Babbel.

The last five months have represented the most frustrating period of his career so far but he is now determined to make up for lost time and, hopefully, play his part in ensuring the Liverpool end a difficult campaign on a high.

“This was the first major injury of my career so it was a new experience for me. I came in every day to do work in the gym or in the pool so that kept me involved,” Baros told the club’s website, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

“All players want to play and I must admit it has been a difficult time. I had never had a bad injury before so I didn’t know what to expect.”