Jurgen Klopp has opened the door for Mamadou Sakho’s potential Liverpool first-team return.
Sakho has not featured for the Reds all season, __with Klopp having informed the defender to leave on loan in the summer in order to improve his fitness.
The Frenchman decided to stay at Anfield and fight for his place however, although he recently hit out at his manager on social media.
The 26-year-old returned to training last week, and was given a glimmer of hope on Wednesday when he featured for the club’s under-23 side.
Sakho played the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 defeat to to Wolfsburg in his first appearance at any professional level since falling victim to a drugs ban in April.
Happy to get back tonight __with #LFCU23s 👍🏿⚽️ and visit to the #LFC Academy / Content d'avoir retrouvé la compétition ce soir !!! pic.twitter.com/ooODLMMoSq
— Mamadou Sakho (@mamadousakho) September 28, 2016
That suspension was overturned before the start of the season and the defender was cleared of any wrongdoing, and now Klopp has opened the door for a possible return to the first team.
“Work hard is the rule for every player,” he said on Thursday. “I spoke to Mama and from my side everything is done. Now we carry on.
“That’s not a rule for Mamadou Sakho, it’s a rule for every player. Work hard and do your best.”