Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho could attribute his doping charge to being dropped for being overweight earlier this season, according to The Mirror.
The Mirror reports that the Frenchman is facing a UEFA ban after failing a routine drug test following last month’s Europa League clash with Manchester United.
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Sakho believes the substance to have been unwittingly consumed with a fat-burning product that he had been taking to watch his weight, The Mirror understands.
And that might be because former manager Brendan Rodgers left Sakho out of his Reds team at the start of the campaign because he was not in a condition to play.
Rodgers made it clear that Sakho’s condition was a concern in September.
He is quoted by The Mirror as saying: “The thing with Mama has been about making sure he is at a peak level of fitness to play games. That was always something of a concern.”
While he has since become a regular under Jurgen Klopp, it took Sakho six Premier League games to get a start under Rodgers and three to make the match-day squad.
He is sidelined again now because Liverpool have confirmed that the 26-year-old will not be considered for selection during the investigation, according to BBC Sport.
Precedent suggests that Sakho could face a ban of between three months and a year if the B sample of his drugs test, to be checked by Tuesday, confirms the findings.
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