Liverpool (12/1 to win the Premier League) midfielder Alberto Aquilani is fit and ready to start the new season, the club have said.
The Italian, who signed for £20million from Roma last year, had to wait more than two months to make his debut after suffering an ankle problem.
The injury was not completely healed throughout the season, leaving him out of sorts.
But the 25-year-old is able to start pre-season training, says the club’s head of sports medicine and sports science Peter Brukner.
Brukner told LFC Weekly magazine: “Alberto’s ankle, which was a problem last year, is now 100% healed.
“He has been training and has looked very sharp. He’ll have to keep working on his injury prevention programme and if he does, I’m sure the supporters will see the best of him because last season was very frustrating for him injury-wise.”
Brukner is pleased with the fitness levels of the players ahead of the start of training.
“Staggering pre-season presents a challenge,” he said. “I’m guessing that the World Cup guys will be pretty fit anyway.
“You don’t lose a lot in three weeks and they’ve all been in contact with us to speak about their programme over that period.”
Brukner’s next task is to assess the fitness of star striker Fernando Torres, who pulled up with an adductor injury in Sunday’s World Cup final in South Africa.
Torres has now returned to Madrid with the rest of the victorious Spain squad and Liverpool (5/1 to win Premier League betting without Man Utd and Chelsea) staff are to fly out to meet him this week.
The 26-year-old is due to have a scan before beginning his summer break.
Reports on Monday suggested he faced a spell of up to eight weeks on the sidelines, but Liverpool have moved to allay those fears.
Brukner, told the club’s official website: “We’ve been in touch with the Spanish medical team and they don’t think it’s too serious.
“It’s an adductor muscle injury but they’ve not had a chance to assess it today.
“We can’t say too much more at the moment until it is properly assessed.”
The striker flopped at the World Cup, failing to score, but his services are very much in demand and new Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson faces a difficult job in trying to keep him at the club.
The 26-year-old has been strongly linked with both Chelsea and Manchester City, and while international colleague Andres Iniesta would not shed any light on where the player might be going he did say the issue should be settled soon.
Iniesta, Spain’s World Cup final hero, spoke to Torres on the flight home from South Africa and told the Daily Express: “He is going to take a break with his wife and daughter, speak to Liverpool and take things from there.
“Any club that has him is lucky to have him. David Villa says Torres is the most complete striker in the world and his future will be decided in the next two weeks.”
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