France manager Didier Deschamps has ruled out the possibility of including Mamadou Sakho in the squad for Euro 2016 despite the defender now being available following his doping controversy.
Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho was recently cleared of the doping charges slammed upon him by UEFA owing to his consumption of a fat burner that was reportedly in the banned substances mandated by the governing body of European football. As a result, Sakho is now available for selection for hosts France.
With Les Bleus faced with a number of set-backs in defence in the form of injuries to Aymeric Laporte, Raphael Varane and Jeremy Mathieu, Didier Deschamps has been forced to go with the likes of uncapped Lyon youngster Samuel Umtiti and Adil Rami to replace them.
Sakho, owing to his UEFA suspension at the time, was not picked in the provisional 26-man squad and Deschamps has refused to include him in the final 23-man squad as well, despite the defender’s availability. The head coach cited his trust in the existing crop of players, saying he believes in their ability to stand up and deliver.
Didier Deschamps’ was the man who led Les Bleus to their last major trophy when they won the Euros in 2000, and will hope to be the first man to win the Euros both as player and manager. The head coach. when asked if he’d bring back Sakho, said (via the Guardian): “Seriously? No. Or I have no respect for the players I selected. When I decided [on the squad] there was no evidence that the end [for Sakho] would be positive, even if it needed confirmation.”
The news will come as a big blow to 26-year-old Sakho, who already missed a European final with Liverpool.
An early return to Melwood for Sakho?
Sakho has reportedly been working overtime to keep his fitness intact to return to action for club and country. With his exclusion from the French national squad, the defender could, after a brief holiday, return to Melwood to be a part of Klopp’s pre-season’s preparations for the beginning of the new season.
The Reds have a busy summer of pre-season football action and will come up against the likes of FC Barcelona, Chelsea and AC Milan in the International Champions’ Cup. Before the high-profile pre-season competition, the Reds entertain Tranmere Rovers, Huddersfield Town, Fleetwood Town and Wigan Athletic. This gives Sakho enough match practice despite missing out on the Euros, and the former PSG captain should be raring to go when Liverpool kick-start Jurgen Klopp’s first full season in charge at Anfield on 13th August 2016.
