Skrtel: Ready for the challenge
Liverpool's most expensive defender Martin Skrtel admits he is looking forward to the challenge of forcing a place into Rafa Benitez's first-team.

Skrtel, 23, cost Liverpool £6.5million as manager Benitez looks to build defensive cover for Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Sami Hyypia.

And Skrtel, who joins the Reds from Zenit St Petersburg, recognises he is going to face a tough task to break into the Liverpool first XI.

"It is going to be hard for me here, there is great competition in defence, but I will give everything to prove I can play at this level for Liverpool," said Skrtel.

Competition

"Obviously I was aware about the competition for places. Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia and Daniel Agger are players with immense quality.

"I will do my best to get into the team as soon as possible. For any team to have competition in all positions is good and I will work as hard as possible to challenge for a place. Rafa hasn't said too much to me about my place just yet."

Skrtel, though, admits he is delighted to have completed his dream move to the Premier League.

"The past few days have been full of anxiety and wait but I'm glad it's all sorted now and I am finally a Liverpool player," Skrtel added.

Future

"I would like to say a big thank you to Zenit St Petersburg for allowing me to come to Liverpool. I was under contract at Zenit and they helped me with this move."

Meanwhile, Benitez believes that the signing of Skrtel is evidence that his relationship with club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, which has been questioned in the past, is going well.

"The owners have allowed me to spend and people should realise that," said Benitez.

"Maybe because everyone seemed to be focusing on me they did not see that we have all been working together, the owners and me, to improve the squad for the future.

"It is important to realise that we were all trying to do the right things for our club and in this case it was to sign a young player for the future."
Sky