Dejan Lovren reckons he has finally won over Liverpool supporters

Are you sure about that, Dejan?

Dejan Lovren's 18-month Liverpool career has been marked by his complete inability to live up to the £20million fee paid by Brendan Rodgers to Southampton, but the Croatian defender believes he has finally won over the doubters. Speaking to Croatian magazine Sportske Novosti, the centre-half said that his recent improved form under Jurgen Klopp has changed opinions among the Anfield fanbase. "Discussions about me are different now," he said. "I think they are now starting to realize that I was worthy, I think they now regret that they had a different opinion of me at the beginning. "I needed someone like Klopp to push me, give me support. For such a man I will always be ready to fight to the end, for my team and the club." Injuries to Rodgers' preferred pairing of Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel handed Lovren the opportunity and he appeared to have secured his place at the heart of Klopp's defence before suffering his own hamstring strain in last week's league cup semi-final against Stoke. And the 26-year-old says he understands why he has been the brunt of so much vitriol. "Liverpool is a great club, expectations are high, so it is normal that when you are not going to be criticism." We aren't quite sure he's out of the woods yet, but at least things are looking up.