Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho to miss start of season through injury

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has been ruled out for the start of the 2016-17 season due to an Achilles injury.

The 26-year-old established himself as the Reds' first-choice centre-back under Jurgen Klopp last season, but missed the end of the campaign having failed a drugs test, which ruled him out of both the Europa League final and selection for Euro 2016.

UEFA has since dismissed the doping allegations, but Liverpool's medical staff have told the France international to rest for another month in order to fully recover from a problem which hampered him during the second half of the 2015-16 campaign, effectively ruling him out of the Premier League opener against Arsenal.

"Mama had a little issue with his Achilles when he was playing, one day on, one off, this kind of thing. When he had his little 'break' he used the time to have a little bit of treatment and that now means another three or four weeks before he can train again," Klopp is quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo.

"There was no surgery, he is just not about to train at the moment. He has got some rehab of course and it's not too good a situation for him, for us, everybody.

"It's not important what I could say because everyone thinks the same. He's here, he's not available at the moment but he is doing rehab. We will see how he reacts to that and then when he can play again."

With Martin Skrtel on the verge of joining Fenerbahce, new signing Joel Matip is now expected to start alongside Dejan Lovren at the Emirates Stadium.