Mamadou Sakho hasn’t been in Jurgen Klopp’s good books for a long time.
The centre-back recently exacerbated tensions with the Liverpool manager after a bizarre outburst on social media app Snapchat, in which he accused the club of telling “lies”.
Of course, it all began when the Frenchman was banned by UEFA for a failed drugs test towards the end of last season, though that was later repealed.
In the pre-season tour of the USA, Klopp revealed further problems with his discipline, leading him to be sent home.
The 26-year-old has now been banished to the under-23 squad, and while the Anfield boss declined to reveal exactly how he dealt with the matter, he did utter a warning to the rest of his squad.
“Those two things are not a rule for Mamadou Sakho,” Klopp told the Guardian.
“It is a rule for every player. Work hard and do your best. The rest of this I spoke to the team about and I spoke to Mama and we spoke together and that’s it.”
The Sakho affair has cast a dampener on what has otherwise been a brilliant start to the new season for the Reds.
After reminding his players of the high standards he expects on and off the pitch, Klopp will be hoping to keep up their title challenge with a victory over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.
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