Despite reportedly rejecting loan moves to West Brom, Stoke and Besiktas before the end of the transfer window, Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho could still be in Jurgen Klopp’s plans this season, reports Paul Joyce in the Daily Express.
The Frenchman has not been “ostracised” from the first team squad in training but he will have a huge fight on his hands to recover his place in the Reds starting lineup.
Sakho angered the Liverpool manager on the club’s preseason tour of the United States after turning up late for the flight, being late for a squad meal and failing to turn up for a physio session whilst recovering from an Achilles injury.
After subsequently being sent home from the tour, Klopp told the France international to go out on loan to prove his professionalism; a request Sakho rejected by turning down moves to the likes of Stoke. He is now behind Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip in the pecking order, who are Klopp’s first choice pairing, whilst he is also behind Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez, once he returns to full fitness.
With no European football, Sakho will have to impress Klopp on the training field and in the rare outings he may get in the EFL cup. In any case, he has a big task to convince Klopp that he has a future at Anfield.
