Dejan Lovren believes the World Cup in Qatar would be a better competition if both his former Liverpool team-mates, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, were playing in it.
Mane had realised his World Cup dream when Senegal beat Salah 's Egypt in the African play-off, but the Bayern Munich forward suffered a heartbreaking injury just days before the flying out to Qatar.
Senegal felt the absence of their star man on Monday when they lost 2-0 to Virgil van Dijk 's Netherlands side in their first game at the Qatar World Cup.
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Lovren, who was in the Croatia side who got their World Cup campaign underway on Wednesday with a goalless draw with Morocco, is a close friend of Liverpool star Salah and won the Premier League and Champions League alongside Mane.
"They are two big superstars, and I think the World Cup in Qatar misses big players like Salah and Sadio," said the centre-back after the draw with Morocco.
"But this is the World Cup, there are other players, and the good thing is that Mo can still reach it. He's still young. Unfortunately for Sadio, it's unlucky, really bad luck, the last game before the World Cup, but Sadio will also come back."
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