Dejan Lovren has warned injured Liverpool teammate Mamadou Sakho that he will take some shifting from the first team.

The Croatian centre-back is poised for an extended role in the first XI after his French counterpart was ruled out until the New Year with a knee injury.

Lovren, who has endured a mixed 18-month spell with the Reds, deputised for Sakho in last weekend's 4-1 win at Manchester City, and he warns that he is getting comfortable in the team.

"I would say it has been ups and downs but the most important thing is the present," he told reporters. "I am feeling settled and happy in the club and we are playing well. I have been tested so many times in my life, even at other clubs, so this is just another school for me to learn. When I am in bad situations, I have great people around supporting me.

"I came here to be a leader and I still feel I can lead a team. I am a person who likes to shout and talk during the game. It is not me if I only think about myself. I think when I'm quiet then I am nervous so it is better to be the opposite. When I am shouting I am concentrating more.

"Every player is important in the team - Sakho is of course - but I did not come here to be on the bench. I am playing now and really comfortable and focused to play my best game. The most important thing is to go step by step, not look forward eight games. There is a pressure on me but it's like that in every job."

The Reds sit ninth in the Premier League table.