Departing Liverpool star pledges to kick Daniel Sturridge, says “on the pitch there are no friends”

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Off the pitch they may be friends, but on the pitch Liverpool teammates Martin Skrtel and Daniel Strurridge plan to be all business when the pair represent Slovakia and England respectively in Euro 2016 this week.

In an interview prior to the upcoming England-Slovakia match, Skrtel made it clear that while he and the England striker will remain friends before and after the game, on the pitch he will show no mercy and isn’t above kicking at his oft-injured Liverpool teammate to help his country win.

“We can be friends before and after the game,” the Slovakia captain Skrtel said, per the Telegraph. “On the pitch, there are no friends. If you asked Daniel he’d answer the same. We try and do the best for the team. If that means having to kick him, then yes. Of course.

“But it’s not only about Daniel Sturridge. It’s about other strikers, too. We have to be ready as a team. It’s 11 versus 11 on the pitch, and we have to try and be better than them. We’re not looking at personalities, but their strengths as a team. It doesn’t matter if it’s Sturridge, Harry Kane or Jamie Vardy. We have to control them all and be better than them.”

Skrtel and Sturridge are both veteran Liverpool players, but Skrtel has recently been linked with a move to AS Roma.

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