Brendan Rodgers has insisted that Dejan Lovren will prove himself to be worth the £20m that Liverpool paid Southampton for his services last summer.

The Croatian has been criticised for a number of his performances since his arrival on Merseyside, with Rodgers having only selected him twice since the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United on December 14.

However, Rodgers believes that, given time, the 25-year-old will show that he is an "outstanding player".

"Dejan will prove in his time here that he is a very, very good player," The Mirror quotes the Liverpool boss as saying.

"It's never easy to come in, you've seen it over many years at the big clubs, the players that come, some will settle in straight away, some will need that little bit of time.

"For a defender, he's still very, very young as a central defender. But he, in his time here, will prove to be an outstanding player."

Lovren has made 22 appearances in all competitions this term.