Premier League | Liverpool miss me more than I miss them: Dejan Lovren

 

Croatian defender Dejan Lovren left the Anfiled last summer to play for Zenit but, as revealed by him recently, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has told him that the team still misses him.

The 31-year-old made a total of 185 appearances for the club across all competitions and won the Premier League ans Champions League during his stint as well.

Lovren used to be a key figure in the central defence for the Reds. After his departure, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez suffered long-term injuries and are still out of action. That has forced Klopp to use midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in the middle of the defence.

The Croatian says that the Reds are definitely missing him but he has no regrets with his decision of switching to Zenit.

“No, I do not regret it. My decision in the summer was firm – to leave Liverpool, and I do not look back,” he told Sport-Express.

“I got upset last season when I didn’t play, but now everything is different. I think Liverpool miss me more than I miss them. Jurgen Klopp knows this, because we talk. He wrote to me recently: ‘We miss you’.”

Lovren also mentioned that he learned a lot from Klopp’s work ethic during his stint with Liverpool and he tried to inculcate the same mentality among the players at Zenit.

“I’ll call it work ethic. Klopp challenges the players to work hard,” Lovren continued.

“That is why I want to show everyone: it doesn’t matter if you play against Arsenal Tula, Lazio or Borussia Dortmund, the mood should be the same.

“This is what I learned at Liverpool. It’s not just against Chelsea and Manchester United that you need to give your best. It’s necessary to constantly and consistently maintain a high level of football.

“So for me it doesn’t matter who Zenit meets – Spartak or Ufa. I give myself one hundred percent anyway. I would like to convey this approach to the younger generation.”

Liverpool are currently placed at the fourth spot in the Premier League having dropped points in their draw against Manchester United recently.