Pepe Reina Looking To Comeback From Injury Against Valerenga

After recovering from a double hernia operation, Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina is raring to make his comeback in Monday's friendly against Valerenga.

The Spaniard has played no part in the Red’s pre-season plans so far following his surgery, but now the former Villarreal shot-stopper feels confident that he can appear in some capacity in the club’s next match.

There is some work to be done for him to be ready for the Premier League opener game against Sunderland, but Reina insists he will be fully fit in time for the fixture.

"The target is to play in Valerenga, and then after Valencia there is one more week and that should be good enough to get that fitness," Reina told the club’s website.

"Just because of precaution, we didn't want to rush it - there was no point in doing that. I'm totally recovered now, training with the team as normal and looking forward. I can't wait to play again.

"It wasn't that nice because my holidays were in the same time as my operation. But after three years without having a proper holiday, I did rest a little bit more this season."

Whilst Reina has been recovering from his operation Liverpool have been busy in the transfer market, with new acquisitions such as Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson arriving at the club.

The 28-year-old believes manager Kenny Dalglish and the club has shown positive intentions in restoring the Merseyside outfit’s reputation in the Premier League.

"I think we have shown our ambitions during the window," he said. "The rest of the teams did the same and it's going to be tough to compete against them, but we are optimistic, and the season can go really well for us."

Team-mate Luis Suarez has also not been able to feature in the team’s pre-season exploits thanks to his successful campaign in the Copa America with Uruguay, a feat Reina was proud to see the striker achieve.

Reina added: "It's a great moment and I was happy texting him congratulating him, because he deserved that. And it can be really good for his confidence and the team's confidence at the same time.

"As we saw the last six months of last season, he is a top, top player, and among the best strikers in the world. He will show that, he will be a fantastic player for us."