Skrtel on verge of return

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel could return to full training next week after six weeks on the sidelines with a broken foot.

The Slovakian centre-back fractured a metatarsal in the 3-1 Europa League win over Unirea Urziceni on February 25.

“I had another scan so that my doctors could be absolutely sure that everything was OK,” said Skrtel. “They were satisfied with what they saw.

“It means that I can spend my time on the running machine from now on. It is a bit rigid but I hope that I can start working with the ball next week.”