Skrtel glad to be back
Martin Skrtel admits pre-season training has been tough so far - but he's relishing being put through his paces as Liverpool gear up for the new campaign.
The centre-back joined his teammates at Melwood on Monday morning as the Reds' preparations for 2011-12 got underway.
And Skrtel is determined to ensure he's in prime condition for Sunderland's opening-day visit to Anfield on August 13.
He told his official website: "I'm back in Liverpool now. I came back on Sunday and we had our first training session on Monday.
"It was hard at times but I understand why we train this hard - a new challenge lies ahead and we want to be ready.
"It was great to be with boys again. We will be here for a week and then we travel to Asia for a pre-season tour.
"We want to be ready and we have some business to do this time. I hope this will be a much better season than the last one."