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Dejan Lovren insists Liverpool squad want to be "remembered as one of the best teams"

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Liverpool defender insists the Reds are hungrier than ever despite holding a 22-point lead at the summit of the .

Jurgen Klopp's side hold a mammoth lead at the top of the league table, with the Reds looking certain to clinch their first league title after 30 years.

Having failed to a trophy under Klopp for four years, Liverpool triumphed in the , Super Cup and Club last season - with more set to follow this year.

It has been a long and arduous journey for the Reds, with success being anything but immediate, and Lovren has witnessed Liverpool's rise to the top from the start, having joined in the summer of 2014.

Now, the Croatian has his eyes set on ensuring the Reds build on their success and re-establish themselves as a heavyweight of European football.

“I've been there from the beginning with Jurgen and it took quite a while, two or three years to build everything up,” Lovren told Sky Sports.

“Let's say, we clicked this year – maybe even last year – but we missed out by one point.

“Now we understand each other, what we need, what we want. And I especially want that we are remembered maybe like the team that won in four years [about] 20 trophies.

“Why should we not do that? I think we can do it and I want that we are remembered as one of the best teams that have played – not only for this year, but for many, many years.

Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images

“It's a privilege to be in the dressing-room and to see smiley faces, but it's not just about smiley faces – it's about how we are still reacting on the training ground. We are still hungry, still greedy and this is what makes us special to be honest.

“I think many other teams would go easy now with a 22-point lead, but we don't look at these 22 points. We are just focused game by game and this I think is the simplest way to be the best.

“It is a good experience also for the younger ones, to understand that even if you are on top you still need to work as hard as if you were in the middle of the table or in last position.”

The Reds centre back has fallen out of favour at after suffering a range of knocks this season, the latest being a hamstring injury sustained against Salzburg in December.

Lovren has made just 13 appearances in all competitions this season, with and Joel Matip both being preferred over the 30-year-old.

His future at the club remains uncertain beyond this summer. However, he believes he still has a lot to give, with Lovren targetting “another good five years” in the top-flight.

“I'm patient. I'm working behind closed doors a lot and sometimes it is frustrating when you don't play,” he added.

Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images

“You are fighting with yourself in your mind, asking ‘Why not?'. But you are accepting it, you are moving on and from my personal point of view, I want to be better every day in the training sessions.

“The day will come when I will get again the chance so I am happy that I am not injured – which is the most important thing – and I'm also happy that we are all together and we have a full squad at the moment.

“Of course I want to be in the team that wins many trophies. I think, and I feel, that I have quite a lot of years to give especially in professional football. I'm 30, so another good five years.

“I don't think I'm just a throwaway. If the club needs me I am here, I am happy. But you never know what can happen in the summer. At the moment I am just focused on the point where I can say I made it [as part of a great team].”