Liverpool legend John Aldridge believes it won’t be a surprise, should Dejan Lovren part ways with the club during the summer transfer window. The Croatia international has improved drastically under the guidance of manager Jurgen Klopp but he has recently found himself dropping down the pecking order for the central defensive position.

In a report covered by The Star, Aldridge said that Lovren no longer has the command for a starting role at Anfield with Joel Matip and Joe Gomez fighting for the second central defensive position alongside Virgil van Dijk, he said: “It would not be a surprise to me to see Dejan Lovren leaving Liverpool this summer. He has certainly improved under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff, while the presence of Virgil van Dijk alongside him has made a huge difference. I don’t think he is anywhere near as good as he thinks he is and Klopp clearly agrees, as he favoured Joel Matip ahead of Lovren for most of last season and young Joe Gomez is also waiting in the wings as a potential partner for Van Dijk.”

Lovren sustained an injury during the World Cup with Croatia last summer and that meant that he could not make the opening phase of the Premier League campaign. That enabled Joe Gomez to partner Van Dijk at the heart of the defence and the same remained the case until December when the former suffered a leg fracture.

Despite this, Lovren was not able to secure the central defensive role with Jurgen Klopp preferring to go with Matip to partner van Dijk during the backend of the campaign. As such, Lovren has typically become the fourth-choice centre-back at the club and it remains to be see whether he would be content with a similar role when the Premier League restarts next month.