Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren admits the competition between Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah exists, but says it only benefits the Premier League champions.

There were signs this season that the attacking pair did not share the best relationship, namely after Mane showed his frustration with Salah on the bench against Burnley last August.

But Lovren - who joined Zenit St. Petersburg this summer - insists the duo share a healthy competition which only helps Liverpool win games.

"I see it in a different way," said the Croatian defender in quotes carried by Egyptian website KingFut.

"It is good to have competition between players. It is normal, Salah wants to score more than Mane, and this is football.

"If both players are in good form, then it serves the team well and that's the most important thing.

"When Salah doesn't score in a game, he doesn't blame Mane for not scoring. Instead, he focuses on his mistakes to improve for the next game."