Grujic stay to benefit Liverpool – Lovren

DEJAN Lovren believes Marko Grujic will have an impact with Liverpool next season following his loan spell at Cardiff City.

The 22-year-old struggled for game time under Jurgen Klopp after joining the Reds from Red Star Belgrade in the summer of 2016.

He was allowed to leave Anfield on loan in January, with the Serbia international joining the Bluebirds for the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign.

Grujic has impressed during his time in South Wales, with Cardiff losing just one of the 12 Championship matches in which the midfielder has featured for the club.

And Liverpool defender Lovren expects Grujic to play a big role at Anfield next term following his improvement under Neil Warnock.

Writing in Liverpool’s matchday programme ahead of the Reds’ Premier League clash with Bournemouth, Lovren said: “I’m really glad for Marko that it is going well at Cardiff City and hopefully they will be in the Premier League next season.

“He hadn’t been playing here and is still young, so I think it was the right decision for him to go to Cardiff to get some minutes on the pitch.

“I saw his goal against Barnsley and I’m really happy for him that he is doing well there.

“Going from the Serbian league to Premier League was a big step for him, so I think the first yearand-a-half was about adaptation here.

“Hopefully he will be fine for next season to play a big role here because I know the manager is thinking about him for the future.”

Grujic scored his first goal for the Bluebirds in the 2-1 win over Barnsley at Cardiff City Stadium in March.

He was an unused substitute in the Bluebirds’ triumph over Norwich City at Carrow Road , a result that saw Cardiff climb above Fulham and back into the Championship’s automatic promotion places.

Meanwhile, former Cardiff City striker Rickie Lambert has been awarded the EFL’s Sir Tom Finney Award in recognition of his lifetime achievement in the game.

The ex-England striker played more than 600 league games for nine clubs in all four divisions, scoring 215 goals and winning three promotions.

He arrived at Cardiff City in August 2016 as then-manager Paul Trollope’s marquee signing, but injury prevented him from making a major impression for the Bluebirds.

Previously, the 36-year-old had capped a remarkable journey to the top when he was part of the England squad for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.