Dejan Lovren could be close to returning for the first team as a source close to ESPN FC claims that the Croatian will play in an U23 match for the Reds.
The former Southampton defender has not played for the Merseyside club since late January due to a knee injury and had even seen a specialist in Germany to deal with the issue. The 27-year-old will face Chelsea in the Premier League-2 game and will hope of a quick return for the weekend fixture against Manchester City.
The Reds have had to deal with various injuries this season and the main central defenders, Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan have all missed games throughout the season due to injuries.
Manager Jurgen Klopp opened up about a lack of consistency in the central defensive partnership recently. He said:
“As a manager there is no time to be frustrated because always you have to take what you get.
“Would it have been good or better if we could have played them more often? Different.
“Consistency in your lineup is always good, as often as you can play together that’s only good for the team because the things you learn from each other, about each other, in the game, how you’re moving, what’s your strengths… just feeling it as a centre-half couple — that’s pretty important.”
Lovren had made a return to full training but still couldn’t be part of the squad in their 2-1 win over Burnley. The Reds do look a better outfit with Lovren playing alongside Matip but injuries have meant that even Lucas Leiva has had to step in as a make shift centre-back.
The Croatian has played 20 games in the Premier League and has even scored a couple of goals for the Reds. He did play the entire 90 minutes against Chelsea in his last game and should he make a return to the side against Manchester City, it would be a big boost for a side struggling to keep a clean sheet.
Liverpool have been great against the big sides this season and even though they play at the Etihad against City, they would be confident of a good showing. And if Lovren does make it to the side, they will be hopeful of a positive result away from home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_Xq6M9OK9I
