Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has reportedly been sent home from the team’s pre-season training camp in America.
According to the Liverpool Echo, concerns have been raised regarding the French international’s attitude in the California training camp, causing Jurgen Klopp to put him on a swift flight back home.
Officially the Reds have said that the French defender has returned to England for treatment of an Achilles problem, but the fact is that he remains the only injured player to have been sent home. This, coupled with the fact that Sakho was the only player to arrive late when the squad was due to fly out to America has plunged his Liverpool future into serious doubt.
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Lucas Leiva and Joe Gomez, both nursing injuries, have remained with the squad, with Sakho expected to fly back on Tuesday accompanied by Brad Smith, who is set to undergo a medical at Bournemouth.
Sakho had travelled with the squad in an order to foster team spirit and maintain positivity before the new campaign.
The former Paris Saint-Germain captain has missed all of Liverpool’s friendlies due to an Achilles injury and is also expected to miss the start of the new Premier League campaign.
This has been the latest addition to a series of unfortunate events that have plagued Sakho in the last few months, possibly making this the worst few months of his career. He was banned by UEFA for three months in March for failing a drugs test after a Europa League encounter against Manchester United at Old Trafford. This led to him missing the final few games of Liverpool’s season as well as the Europa League final against Sevilla. He was also dropped from the French national team squad that finished runners-up in the 2016 Euros. UEFA eventually cleared him of the charges and he is currently taking on legal advice on what to do next.
Liverpool confirmed that Sakho had flown home, but declined to comment on the reason for his departure.
This could be a big blow for the English Premier League club as they were hoping for Sakho to play a big part in their upcoming season. Click Here for a full list of Liverpool’s EPL fixture list.
