Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has been named in Croatia’s World Cup squad for their trip to Russia this month as the only representative from the Premier League.
The Croatian national team announced their World Cup squad via their official Twitter account this morning, with the 6″1 (source: Transfermarkt) centre-back making the cut for the summer tournament in Russia, with fellow top flight compatriot Nikola Vlasic at Everton missing out.
??#Croatia final @FIFAWorldCup squad#BeProud #Family #WorldCup? #Vatreni? pic.twitter.com/eFnr04S0KR
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) June 4, 2018
The 28 year old will join his Croatia team mates for their first Group D clash against Nigeria on 16th June, with the Liverpool man proving beneficial to their World Cup qualification by making six appearances.
OPINION
With Lovren performing consistently for Liverpool in both the Premier League and Champions League this season, it is no surprise to see him included in Croatia’s World Cup squad. Being able to shoot with both feet, not only will he display his defensive capabilities like he does for Liverpool, he will be able to surge forward and contribute an assist or goal for his country. His Premier League experience with Liverpool will prove crucial to Croatia’s World Cup run, as he will have first hand knowledge of his opponents of whom he has played in the top flight with for four years. With the centre-back amongst their ranks, Croatia have a good chance of qualifying from their group this year, with Real Madrid’s attacking midfielder Luka Modric also contributing to a talented squad. However, he is still under threat in the heart of the Liverpool back line and a good tournament out in Russia may help alleviate some of the pressure after some mixed performances in recent times.