If there’s one thing that annoys me most in football it’s a good old myth.

Whether it’s Lucas Leiva being one of the best in his position before his ACL injury, Daniel Sturridge being arrogant or David Moyes having Everton punching far above their weight; it doesn’t matter what the myth is, they still irritate me.

 They also take a long time to bust; just look at those who still question Sturridge’s mentality.

The latest one to emerge is that Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho isn’t good on the ball, or in some cases isn’t good enough at all to play for Brendan Rodgers tricky reds.

In both cases it’s an absurd suggestion.

Whilst he may not caress a football like Liverpool great Alan Hansen or exude a faux elegance like Denmark captain Daniel Agger he is still productive and incisive in his passing – if somewhat unconventional at times.

A look at passing averages suggests such a claim is also nonsense.

Sakho averages 37 forward passes with a 92% completion rate over the 1207 minutes of Premierleague football he’s played whereas in comparison Agger makes 31.39 (having played 113 minutes more) with an 88% completion rate (stats courtesy of Squawka).

There is little to separate them when it comes to passing distance, Sakho averaging a metre more per game, 20.67m to the Dane’s 19.56m.

Sakho has also averaged more key passes than the Liverpool vice-captain; 0.13 to Aggers 0.06 and 2 to 1 over the season.

Whilst I’m not a fan of statistics they do suggest that the false perception from some sections of supporters is based on the ungainly nature of the French defender and his refusal to launch the ball out of trouble at all costs rather than any tangible defects to his footballing ability.

Defensively he is also superior to Agger averaging more tackles (1.47 to 1.11), more interceptions (1.64 to 0.94) and fewer errors (2 to the Dane’s 3 overall).

In a game where defending has almost become a second-thought Sakho makes sure he does the basics right.

Not all is as it seems in football and whilst Agger may look the more assured from his all-round demeanour his general play suggests that he’s not Scirea or Hansen rather a competent international class footballing defender.

The same applies to Sakho, whilst he’s no Desailly on the ball he’s also no Djimi Traore rather - like Agger - he is a competent footballer but also an exceptionally gifted defender.

Ultimately Mamadou Sakho’s Anfield legacy will be built on his defensive performances however the myth surrounding his ‘footballing’ ability should stay just that, a myth.

Perhaps with time his few detractors will realise that is all it is.