Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel is likely to make a return in time for the season kick-off according to a club statement. Scans on Friday revealed that the Slovakian international had suffered a hamstring strain in Wednesday’s friendly with Thailand but the club are hopeful that he’ll be available within three weeks.

Daniel Agger will now get several pre-season games to stake a claim for a regular start once Liverpool’s campaign kicks off at White Hart Lane. Even if he can overcome the injury in time, Skrtel will clearly be lacking match fitness having missed his pre-season. That may well give Agger the edge, but Skrtel’s potential availability casts serious doubt over the wisdom of opting for either defender in our initial fantasy lineups.

Interestingly, Rafa employed Agger at left-back today in the 5-0 win over Singapore. Clearly this spot is also up for grabs with Insua used as a second-half sub in today’s game, with Agger eventually switching to centre-back alongside Carragher. With Dossena’s future still in doubt, it appears that Agger and Insua are being positioned to compete at left-back. If Agger does get the nod on a regular basis, then Skrtel would perhaps become a more secure option. As always however, rotation looks set to be a major concern for us – particularly, it seems, amongst Rafa’s defence.