Liverpool opinion: Dejan Lovren’s time could be coming to an end at Liverpool

The summer was a fantastic time for Dejan Lovren. The Croatian had taken Liverpool to the finals of the Champions League and led his nation to the finals of the World Cup too.

Unfortunately, the Croatian lost both finals but it is a credit he played in both games. That was the start of a tough period for Lovren. The defender came back from the World Cup carrying a knock, and as he recovered, Joe Gomez rose from the ranks.

The English defender took over as the other first-choice centre-back at the club and formed a great partnership with Virgil van Dijk.

Lovren has always had an error or two in his game, such as the horror 4-1 show against Tottenham last season. However, the Croatian has always fought the odds and has put in some quality performances too.

His future is being questioned as the Mirror reports that three Serie A clubs are interested in the 29-year-old.

Gomez and Matip starring alongside Van Dijk

There was another opportunity for Lovren to prove his quality when Gomez suffered a fracture in his lower leg, but again, the Croatian picked up a hamstring problem.

Joel Matip was the next partner for Van Dijk, and the Cameroon defender has been excellent in the last two months.

Lovren could find it difficult to get regular games till the end of the season as Gomez is back to training.

The Reds also have quality young defenders coming through the ranks such as Nathaniel Phillips. Jurgen Klopp isn’t averse to providing chances to youngsters, and Phillips could be another player to get more game time next season.

Lovren is 29 at the moment and has a few quality years left in him, however, Klopp should sell the defender should a decent bid come in from one of the Italian clubs.

The Croatian has a couple of years left on his current deal and getting something from him now is better than losing him on a free.

Also, his injury record this season hasn’t been great and we struggled for fit defenders at one point of the season playing Fabinho at the back.

In fact, Lovren has never played more than 29 Premier League games for the Reds in a single season, which casts a further shadow on his ability to stay fit for the entire campaign.

Gomez has proved he can play regularly in the first-team, and Liverpool could do with some of their younger defenders getting minutes next season.

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Of course, we could do with an experienced centre-back should Gomez or Van Dijk get injured, but someone younger than Lovren would be a good bet for the future.