Liverpool defender hoping for early return

The 25-year-old suffered the injury in the Europa League win away to Unirea Urziceni last month.

Skrtel was expected to be out of action for two months.

“I must say, I’m in a better state of health now,” he said on his official website, martinskrtel.sk.

“I have been undergoing regular treatment on the injury at our Melwood training centre, along with getting massages and doing various exercises so that the muscles in my foot don’t weaken.

“The foot is not swollen any more and it doesn’t hurt as much as before.

“Naturally, I still have to use the crutches but on Thursday I went for a check scan which will determine how the treatment process will continue.”