Lovren claims Liverpool 'miss me more than I miss them' after talks with Klopp

Dejan Lovren has claimed that he has no regrets over leaving Liverpool last summer after claiming he has received a text message from Reds boss Jurgen Klopp saying he is missed at Anfield.

After falling down the pecking order, the Croatian departed Liverpool  after six years following their Premier League title success by moving to Zenit in a deal worth £11million.

But Liverpool have suffered a defensive crisis this term with long term injuries to first choice pairing Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez likely to keep them out for much of the season.

As a result it has left Liverpool short at the back with their only senior centre-back in Joel Matip also having minor spells with injury and midfielder Fabinho having had to fill the gaps in defence.

Lovren though insists he does not regret leaving Anfield in search of first-team football and that it is the Reds who are suffering more from his departure.

'No, I don't regret [leaving]. My decision in the summer was firm - to leave Liverpool, and I do not look back', he told Russian outlet Sport Express.

'I got upset last season when I didn't play, but now everything is different. I think Liverpool miss me more than I miss them and Jurgen Klopp knows this, because we communicate. He wrote recently: "We miss you."

'I spoke with Jurgen [after I left], but I will not disclose details. Jurgen said only good things and wished him luck.'

Lovren spent time with his former Reds team-mate Van Dijk over the weekend in a warm weather training session in Dubai where the Dutch defender is stepping up his recovery from a horror knee injury.

Van Dijk has been out since being forced off in October's Merseyside derby at Everton when he was wiped out by a poor challenge from Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Although a Premier League return this term is still on the cards, a chance to feature in the summer's European Championship is a more realistic target, but Lovren has admitted he has warned Van Dijk about rushing back too soon.

'We talked about his recovery, about the knee,' he added. 'You know that Virgil has a serious injury - the cruciate ligaments are damaged.

'Moreover, when this happened, at first he did not even feel anything. He starts to walk, everything is fine, and after a few steps it gets worse and worse.

'But I hope he will be back in service soon. I advised Van Dijk not to speed up the recovery [to be fit] by Euro 2020.

'If the risk of relapse persists, it is best to wait. Virgil is young for a centre-back, he is only 29 years old. There will still be major tournaments in his career.'