Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho has spoken of his delight at seeing his January loan move to the club pay off.
The 27-year-old spent the first half of this season in the wilderness at Liverpool following a falling-out with manager Jurgen Klopp, but since joining the Eagles on loan he has quickly become an integral part of Sam Allardyce's side.
Palace have kept four clean sheets in the seven matches that Sakho has featured in so far, lifting them away from the relegation zone, and the France international insists that he is now fully focused on securing safety for his new club.
"Look, it was still a big challenge, and a very different kind of challenge. But I'm so glad I did. I get a kick out of being out on the pitch, playing football again. I am playing in front of big crowds, fans who appreciate my style of play. Ten months is a long time, but there's no secret to hitting the ground running. No magic formula," he told The Guardian.
"I never stopped training and working really hard – at Liverpool, over the summer – and I'm proud of the effort I put in. It is paying off. But you know, to talk about my future now is almost... selfish. It is not the time. My only goal is the mission I have accepted at Crystal Palace, and I'm trying to help them succeed in what they need to do. I'm part of a team, and it's the team that matters. Not my future. Not my contract. Not what happens next.
"It's all about seeing Palace safe, and we're not there yet. If I wear the Liverpool shirt again I will gladly. I have three more years of contract there. But if I have to stay at Palace, I would do that gladly too. I'm happy, I feel good here. I'm also someone who is ambitious, so I will let my agent deal with that in the summer and we'll see where we are. If my future proves to be somewhere else... well, so be it. I'll leave everything on my mother's prayers.
"Sunday will be strange. I will be there with the Palace squad but, for this game, I'm in an awkward position. I have a foot in each camp. I still belong to Liverpool, a great team with a great manager, a club I really appreciate. I had this great relationship with the Liverpool fans and the players. But I now have that same relationship with Palace and their fans. The team as well. Everything has gone so well in the last few months... maybe this should be a case of 'may the best team win'."
Sakho will be unavailable when Palace face his parent club Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
