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On Saturday, Mamadou Sakho was left out of the matchday squad against Everton and, rather than sitting in the stands, the defender left Anfield. This, rather unsurprisingly, led to suggestions the player's relationship with Brendan Rodgers had broken down. When news broke that he hadn't travelled with the squad to Basel, this talk only intensified.
While Sakho's status at the club may remain a talking point for many given he seems clear third in the pecking order, Brendan Rodgers says that he hasn't travelled to Basel is in no way disciplinary. Rather, it is because he picked up a knock in training on Monday and along with Daniel Sturridge isn't expected to be fit enough to even make the bench on Wednesday evening.
"His reaction is not something we expect from one of our players, but we've spoken, he's apologised, and we'll move on," said the manager when asked about Sakho leaving Anfield and if that is why he had been left behind. "His injury has come in a training session. He felt a pain in his thigh and has had a scan that shows he's got a slight tear and will miss two to three weeks."
For those who rate Sakho highly, particularly coming off a dominant World Cup showing for France, it won't answer why he was left out of the squad entirely against Everton. And it won't answer any questions about his long-term Liverpool future. It at least seems to answer the pressing short term one, though.
