Mamadou Sakho’s time at Liverpool ended unceremoniously, being ostracised by Jurgen Klopp for lax timekeeping during a pre-season tour of USA, and the defender continues to fall foul of his immediate superiors.
As reported by L’Equipe, the 33-year-old reportedly attacked his Montpellier manager Michel Der Zakarian during a training ground bust-up which stemmed from the former Reds centre-back not being given a foul he felt was due.
The player duly walked off the pitch and, after being reprimanded by his boss, Sakho is believed to have grabbed him by the collar and knocked him to the ground, with numerous witnesses watching on.
It’s understood that the ex-Liverpool man could potentially be dismissed by the Ligue 1 club for serious misconduct, having already been told during the summer that he wasn’t in the manager’s plans.
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp will now feel vindicated over summer decision on rapid 19y/o Liverpool gem
Players and managers exchange arguments in training all the time, but judging by these reports, Sakho unfortunately took it way too far in his bust-up with Der Zakarian.
Thinking back to how he fell foul of Klopp during that pre-season tour in 2016, this isn’t the first time that the Frenchman’s attitude has been less than exemplary, and the current Liverpool boss will certainly feel that he made the right call to part with the player when he did.
It’s a shame to see the 33-year-old’s career deteriorating to this point, having been something of a cult hero during his time at Anfield for his pace and athleticism, notably scoring in the epic 4-3 win over Borussia Dortmund in the run to the 2015/16 Europa League final.
We can only hope that, whatever Montpellier decide with Sakho, he learns from this unflattering incident; and also that such scenes aren’t repeated by anyone at Liverpool, either at present or in the future.
#Ep94 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️