Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Reds defender Dejan Lovren is not available for selection for the team’s clash with Watford on Wednesday night.
The World Cup finalist hasn’t featured for Klopp’s team since Liverpool’s FA Cup exit to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the start of January.
The former Borussia Dortmund chief provided an update on the former Southampton man at his pre match press conference on Tuesday: “Getting closer, but not for tomorrow,” he said, as per journalist James Pearce’s personal Twitter account.
Klopp on Lovren: "Getting closer but not for tomorrow."
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) February 26, 2019
OPINION
This is a mixed bag of news, really. Obviously the sooner Lovren gets back to full fitness the better, because he remains an important player for the Reds despite the continual injuries he’s sustained this season. He has a fine partnership with Virgil van Dijk, and he obviously offers more depth to Klopp’s defence. The German only has two fully fit centre halves at this moment in time, and if one of them isn’t available then that causes a serious headache for the Liverpool boss. We saw that recently when midfielder Fabinho was forced to start at centre back against Bayern Munich in the Champions League – obviously not an ideal situation. If Lovren had been available then clearly that situation wouldn’t have arisen. So it’s good news that he’s making progress with his recovery, indeed as Klopp says he’s getting closer, but it’s obviously a negative thing that he’s not quite there for Wednesday’s game. Still, Van Dijk and Joel Matip should be enough to get the Reds over the line against the Hornets.
