Mamadou Sakho is unlikely to line up for Liverpool during their opening game of the Premier League season against Arsenal, after the Reds' medical team advised that the defender needs another month of rest for a problematic Achilles injury.
Sakho could miss the first few weeks
It's unclear exactly when Sakho will return, with manager Jürgen Klopp refusing to put an exact date on it, but the Frenchman is said to also be a doubt for fixtures against Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur as he recovers from the injury.
Klopp revealed that the problem has been plaguing him since the second half of last season, playing a match and then having to miss a day of training, train a day and then miss another.
Whilst the defender was suspended pending an investigation into a failed drugs test, which he was cleared of last week allowing him to resume his career, he had some treatment on his Achilles which should hold him in better stead in the long run.
No surgery, importantly
Klopp explained more about the treatment, saying; "There was no surgery, he is just not about to train at the moment, he used his little 'break' to have a little bit of treatment".
However, it will keep him out for a few more weeks, damaging news for Liverpool as they hope to get off to the best possible start in the Premier League season.
Unless the Reds sign another centre-back before they visit the Emirates Stadium on the opening weekend, you'd expect new signing Joel Matip to line up alongside Dejan Lovren, given that Kolo Toure has been released and Martin Skrtel is in Turkey finalising a move to Fenerbache.
