Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren withdraws from Croatia squad due to injury

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/oct/09/liverpool-dejan-lovren-croatia-injury

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The Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has withdrawn from Croatia’s squad with an abdominal injury and is set to return to Merseyside for assessment.

The centre-back, who had to leave a training session after feeling a sharp pain, was due to play in Euro 2016 qualifiers against Bulgaria on Friday and Azerbaijan on Monday, but has now been ruled out of both.

Croatia’s FA said in a statement: “During training on Wednesday Lovren felt pain in the abdominal wall. Igor Boric [a specialist] at St Catherine hospital showed there was a tear and he will not be ready for performances in Sofia and Osijek.”

Gordon Schildenfeld of Panathinaikos was called up to replace him in the squad.

Lovren will now return to Merseyside to undergo assessment by the club’s medical team, with 10 days before their next match. It is the second successive month the club have had players injured on international duty after Daniel Sturridge picked up a thigh injury with England.

Liverpool also lost Joe Allen after he injured a knee while on Wales duty, and fellow midfielder Emre Can who injured his ankle in Germany Under-21s’ 8-0 win over Romania.

With Mamadou Sakho also injured, Liverpool’s only two fit central defenders are Martin Skrtel – currently with Slovakia for matches against Spain and Belarus – and Kolo Touré.