Lovren playing under 'black cloud' at Liverpool

Dejan Lovren is desperate to escape the "black cloud" he is playing under at Liverpool amid a poor run of form.

The Croatia international has been playing through injury and a series of below-par performances culminated in his first-half substitution at Tottenham last month.

Lovren then revealed his family had received death threats as a result in the wake of that 4-1 defeat.

The former Southampton defender returned to the pitch as a substitute for the final minutes of Liverpool's impressive 4-1 win against West Ham on Saturday, but he is still struggling with his current situation.

"Let's say there have been better days," he told 24Sata. "You simply cannot change what has happened in the past.

"I would just love to finally get that black cloud away from me, so things can get better. It's not easy for me.

"Maybe it's interesting for everyone else, but I guess it'll be better soon."

Lovren is in the Croatia squad for their two-legged World Cup play-off tie against Greece, which takes place on Thursday and Sunday.