'Why players have kept working'
Dr Peter Brukner has revealed how the Liverpool squad enjoying the summer break have also taken time out from their holidays to ensure they return to pre-season training in shape.
Martin Skrtel last week confirmed he had been taking time out of a break in his native Slovakia to hit the gym and maintain the fitness levels that helped him to figure in every minute of the Reds' 38 Barclays Premier League games in 2010-11.
Dr Brukner has confirmed Skrtel is not alone as each member of the squad was handed a specialists programme to follow over the course of their vacations.
The club's Head of Sports Medicine and Sports Science told LFC Weekly: "They all have a programme. If they're playing internationals, they'll have a month off and the ones who are not will have six weeks off. But in this day and age you can't just do nothing for four or six weeks.
"The players won't have to do an awful lot but they will be on a maintenance programme so three or four times a week, they'll have things to do."
He added: "It is also an opportunity for us to work on particular deficiencies. If players have had problems in a previous year or had injuries or weaknesses, we'll set them specific programmes."
Dr Brukner arrived at Melwood last summer after working with Australia at the World Cup finals in South Africa.
The tournament meant the return of Liverpool players to Merseyside was staggered depending on how their countries fared in South Africa, while an early start due to Europa League qualification further disrupted the pre-season programme.
However, that won't be the case this summer will be different with the majority of players set to return at the same time next month.
"It is very different to last year when we got everyone back in dribs and drabs as and when they got eliminated from the World Cup," said Dr Brukner.
"It will be a good opportunity for us to really work with the players. With the World Cup, we didn't have that lengthy period of pre-season training to do that.
"We're looking forward to working with them in that period. They may not be looking forward to it so much, but we are!"
