Whilst everyone was expecting a move for Ezequeil Garay following one of those rumours that over the internet tend to spread so quickly and mysteriously gain credibility, Liverpool were silently doing a deal for Slovak defender Martin Skrtel.

Where the situation surrounding the club calmer then those handling the transfer would have been praised for doing it quickly and quietly just as Liverpool always used to do but instead there has been a guarded acceptance of the transfer. That Rafael Benitez had indicated his desire to move for Garay a couple of months back is taken to mean that the Argentine was his main target and Skrtel is simply a fall back option.

There are even those claiming that he is a cheaper fall back option despite the fact that the £6.5 million spent in signing him is a club record fee for a defender.

Given the nature of the transfer, comparisons with Nemanja Vidic are unavoidable. Both were foreign players coming from a Russian side for a big fee and both have a similar burgeoning reputation at international level.

Yet no one should be expecting another Vidic just as no one should be anticipating that Skrtel turns out to be an exact replica of Sami Hyppia, the man many believe he is probably replacing. Indeed, the high yellow card count that he brings with him immediately highlights a big difference with the Finn who rarely gets booked.

Where Skrtel is similar to Hyppia is that little was known of them upon joining Liverpool. What has emerged is that Skrtel is a tough tackler, perhaps not the fastest but who rarely gets beaten when the ball is on the ground. Good but not exceptional in the air, the right footed defender isn’t bad with the ball at his feet yet his strength lies primarily in the ability to stop players from getting through.

Equally there is one comparison with Vidic that should be held. During his first six months at Old Trafford, so poorly did he play that it looked as if Ferguson had made a huge mistake in going for him. Instead it turned out that it was simply a case of the defender getting used to a different style of play. Today he is a fundamental player for United.

Expecting Skrtel to make an immediate impact would be unnecessarily raising expectations and judging him by his first games a risky proposition. As with Vidic, and Daniel Agger for the matter, it will take him some time to settle in.

Fortunately, he will come into a side that can rely on the experience of Jamie Carragher and Hyppia so, while Skrtel is initially expected to deputise for Agger, the manager knows that he has others to turn to if the immediate impact on the player is tougher than anticipated.