Liverpool´s Skrtel, El Zhar out for up to a month

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel and striker Nabil El Zhar will be out of action for three weeks and a month respectively after picking up injuries, the club said Saturday.

They both limped out of Wednesday’s friendly with Thailand and flew back to England while the rest of the squad travelled to Singapore.

Scans conducted Friday revealed that Skrtel has suffered a hamstring strain while El Zhar sustained a medial ligament sprain to his right knee, Liverpool said on its website.

New signing Glen Johnson, meanwhile, will not be available for Sunday’s match against the Singapore national team as he recovers from an Achilles injury.

But the unsettled Xabi Alonso and Israeli star Yossi Benayoun successfully came through a training session here Friday after recovering from ankle injuries and will be available to play.