Liverpool sold 'their best defender' when Mamadou Sakho joined Crystal Palace, says Phil Thompson

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp sanctioned the sale of his “best defender” in allowing Mamadou Sakho to join Crystal Palace, according to Reds great Phil Thompson.

Sakho was ostracised from the Liverpool squad at the start of last season and did not feature under Klopp after April 2016 due to disciplinary issues.

The 27-year-old proved an inspired loan acquisition for Palace during the second half of last term and after a summer of lengthy negotiation the two sides agreed a £26million to bring Sakho back to Selhurst Park.

Liverpool had tried to bring in Virgil van Dijk from Southampton but, after failing in their pursuit of a new centre-back and conceding 11 goals in their first six league games, have been significantly weakened by the departure of Sakho, according to Thompson.

“Our best defender at the start of this season has been allowed to leave,” Thompson told Sky Sports.

“Mamadou Sakho was our best defender. He was a warrior, a fighter, a battler - all those things and you saw it at Crystal Palace last season.

“He was like that at Liverpool. I know there’s fallouts in football all the time but somewhere along the line you can’t cut off your nose to spite your face.

“He should have made up with the boy, ban him for three or four months and then bring him back in.

“And now you lose out to Van Dijk for whatever reason that happened so surely you would be keeping Sakho.”

​Sakho was unable to aid Palace in his first Premier League start of his second spell in south London.

The Eagles losing streak at the start of the season was extended in emphatic fashion at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday, Raheem Sterling scoring twice in a 5-0 win for Pep Guardiola’s side that left Palace moored at the bottom of the league, still without a goal after six games.