Dejan Lovren Speaks out on 'Disgusting' Abuse After Death Threats Toward Family

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has revealed the "disgusting" abuse he has received in recent weeks, including death threats aimed at his family. 

Per football writer Joel Rabinowitz, Lovren shared a message he received on Instagram (warning, contains profanity):

Per Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo, Lovren said: "I don't mind when people talk s--t about me, it says more about them! But I cannot ignore when my family is threatened. I just can't and won't accept that. Disgusting."

Lovren has attracted a great deal of criticism in recent weeks after some poor performances for the Reds.

Former Liverpool star John Arne Riise condemned the threats and expressed solidarity with Lovren:

So too did football writer Leanne Prescott:

The 28-year-old moved to Anfield in 2014 on the back of an impressive campaign with Southampton, but he has struggled to replicate that form in the years since and has often proved error-prone.

This season has been particularly tough for the Croatia international, who was hauled off after just 31 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur earlier in October after a pair of mistakes contributed to Spurs taking an early 2-0 lead.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp faced criticism for the decision and his comments on Lovren's performance after the match, per sports writer Paul Brown:

He did provide a lengthy defence of the centre-back in his press conference on Friday, though, via Goal's Melissa Reddy:

Lovren was named in the starting lineup to face Huddersfield Town on Saturday, but he was replaced by Ragnar Klavan at the last minute after suffering an injury in the warm-up.

The defender has made 121 appearances for the Reds in all competitions.