Liverpool's Martin Skrtel out for eight weeks as defensive issues mount

02 March 2010 08:37
The club announced Skrtel would be absent for up to eight weeks because of the injury to his right foot. [LNB]Skrtel will not need surgery, however the recovery process looks set to mean he will be unavailable to manager Rafael Benitez until the end of April. [LNB] Related ArticlesLiverpool to offer Mascherano new dealLife through a lensGerrard silent in play but not directivesLiverpool 2 Blackburn 1Skrtel foot break confirmedBenitez praises Liverpool characterThe Slovakian centre-back was substituted midway through the second half of the 3-1 victory over Romanians Unirea Urziceni, which helped Liverpool reach the last 16 of the Europa League. [LNB]Skrtel's absence comes just as Benitez thought he finally had a full-strength squad with which to tackle their remaining 11 matches as they bid to secure Champions League football next season. [LNB]Jamie Carragher has been filling the England international's spot on the right of defence in the interim but with Skrtel now ruled out and Sotirios Kyrgiakos suspended, Liverpool's vice-captain is likely to switch back to the centre. [LNB]That leaves an opening which could be filled by Philipp Degen, Martin Kelly or Stephen Darby. [LNB]

Source: Telegraph