Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren made incredible claims about Mohamed Salah and Egypt ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Salah's Egypt failed to make it to the tournament in Qatar. Croatia international Lovren suggested that his former teammate is certainly jealous of him. However, he added that he would have felt the same way if they switched places.
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, the 2018 FIFA World Cup finalist said:
"Salah is 100 percent jealous but the same thing would happen to me. He told me that he would support me and I regret that he is not here, with the Croatian flag."
The defender will be playing his third World Cup in Qatar. Lovren is relishing every bit of the opportunity as he said:
"For me it is very special to be in a third World Cup. If someone had told me when I was a child I would not have believed them. My first game with Croatia was in 2009, against Qatar, It's an ideal situation for the coach.
"He has five quality center-backs and everyone can play as a starter. We fight and give our best and in the end the coach is the one who has to decide who plays. We've never had such quality. We can be happy."
The former Liverpool centre-back insisted that players in the national team are eager to prove themselves as he said:
"And when you join the team you know what the standards are. They are clear to everyone. If Luka Modric, Ivan Perišić or Domagoj Vida can fail in training they can too. Youngsters do that, they are eager to prove themselves and They should continue to do so."
Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren not giving up on hopes of winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren hasn't given up on the hopes of winning the FIFA World Cup yet. He drew parallels to the Reds' 2018 UEFA Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid and their triumph the following year, as he said:
"We have everything we need; I like the mix of experienced veterans and youngsters. A lot of things need to come together again, everyone needs to be at their best. When we have faith in ourselves and in our team, anything is possible. My thought when I came here was to win.
"I said something similar in 2018 when I lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final with Liverpool and a year later we won it. Everything is possible in football."
Croatia are placed in Group F alongside Belgium, Morocco and Canada. They will play their first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup against Morocco on November 23.