Football
PA Sport 8y

Croatia boss holds talks with Liverpool's Dejan Lovren after 'row'

Croatia boss Ante Cacic held a meeting with Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren on Sunday, just over a fortnight after the pair's apparent row during the international break.

A statement by the Croatian Football Federation said Cacic had spoken to Lovren, who has made 31 appearances for the national team, after Liverpool's game against Stoke at Anfield.

Cacic said in the statement: "We talked for a long time and the conversation proceeded in a sincere, spontaneous and open atmosphere."

The coach left Lovren on the bench for the 1-1 draw against Hungary in Budapest on March 26.

But the player was quoted by Croatian newspaper Sportske novosti as saying Cacic had gone back on his word by not playing him.

Cacic was reported to have been unhappy with his behaviour after asking him to warm up, adding: "I'm not going to apologise, and I'm going to play in the first XI or I'm not going to go to the Euros."

He said: "The fitness coach told me to go and warm up for 10 to 15 minutes.

"I started to warm up. After 15 minutes I had finished warming up, but I was left to stand there. I was cold because I did not have a jacket, so I went back to the bench.

"Then after a minute the fitness coach again comes to me and asks me: 'So why did you sit on the bench?'

"I told him I was told to warm up for 10 to 15 minutes, and I did. Then he immediately said that to Cacic.

"Look, nobody in the world does not work after such a long warm-up -- at Liverpool when we warm up, we get in the game or after the 15 minutes go back to the bench."

Lovren said he had been "told I was going to play in the second half in Budapest."

He added: "I was ready to enter the game -- after all, we were told we would all get a chance. In the end I did not get a chance."

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