Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville revealed he is a big admirer of Dejan Lovren and “at his best he’s a top centre-half”.
Former Manchester United defender Neville explained how highly he rates the defender and ‘”loved” his style when he first arrived in the Premier League.
He enthused about the player in the wake of England’s memorable 2-1 Nations League triumph against Croatia at Wembley on Sunday.
“I have to say that for me with Lovren, when he was at Southampton I absolutely loved him,” Neville said on Sky Sports main event channel.
“When Liverpool signed him it didn’t surprise me at all. I think it took him time to settle in. I think now he actually seems to be getting better again. He’s passionate about playing for his country.
“He’s confident in himself, he’s got a lot of belief. To be fair, when he’s at his best he’s a top centre-half.”
OPINION
Does any player get more mixed reviews? Even from his own fan base than Lovren? The centre-back has deservedly played in World Cup and Champions League finals this year after playing some of the best football of his career. But he finds himself in the curious position of being third-choice centre-back at his club following the brilliant start to the season of new combination Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk. Lovren showed on Sunday he will not go down without a fight. He delivered another passion-filled, no-holds-barred display for Croatia as his side came so close to once against causing England misery, only for one of the most memorable turnarounds of the new Wembley. The 29-year-old was not faultless – he rarely is – but hectored, commanded and put his body on the line. The good news for Liverpool is Lovren is free of the injuries and illness that have sidelined him for some of this season and his club have a third top-quality centre-back on their books.