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Jurgen Klopp insists out-of-favour defender Mamadou Sakho doesn’t have to regain his trust - but believes it will take time for the Frenchman to make any return to the Liverpool team.

Sakho declined Liverpool’s invitation to seek a loan deal before the transfer window closed as the club sought to find him playing time after his much-publicised suspension for a doping offence - later revoked - and an achilles injury.

Delivering his pre-match press conference at Melwood, the Reds boss said the loan issue was a question of where Sakho would find some playing time but said he hadn’t forgotten the player’s good perfomances.

Klopp said: “We have to make Mama fit now. We went through an open transfer phase, whatever. You have to prepare decisions, you have to make decisions. You have to prepare for the situation after the window closes.

“So you have to think about a few things and you have to tell the players the truth. Of course after closing the window, the situation is like it is, you cannot change it the squad situation anymore. That’s what I did, not only with Mama but with all of the players, tell them what I think would be the best (way).

“At this moment it’s about making Mama fit what he isn’t after this long time with suspension and injuries. Then we will see what happens. I have no idea what happens when because it’s about ‘who performs how’, our results, all that stuff. But at the end, Mama knows and I know from my side, that’s enough ”

Sakho hasn’t played since the Merseyside derby in April - a game he scored in - after his suspension for taking a fat burner which it was subsequently ruled should not have been on the banned list.

That kept him out of the French team for the Euros and injury then disrupted his pre-season.

Nevertheless he was taken on Liverpool’s US tour only to be sent home for breaches of club discipline including being late for the flight, missing a team meal and missing a recovery session.

But Klopp insisted: “It’s not a problem, who am I? He doesn’t have to regain my trust, I’m not blind but it’s the situation. He couldn’t play football for a long time, it makes sense after a long break to think ‘how can you can get match time’?

“That’s hopefully difficult because the other players are fit and will hopefully stay fit. Not hopefully for Mama of course but for the other players and the squad, for results and all that stuff. You have to speak about it before the window closes because that’s the moment you can make decisions and that’s what I did.

“I’m not silly enough to forget good performances and things like this but in the end we will see what will happen.

“Now the squad is clear, now it’s all good, we have one more good centre-half. All good but for him it needs time.”

In terms of his centre-back partnership going forward, Klopp suggested it would be down to performances and results from the men in possession, Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren.

“It’s about the way they perform, why not? You have to use the quality of the squad, that’s what we try to do. We have to work as good as possible and they know that different pairs know how to work together.

“Why should I now say ‘that’s the pair for the whole season’ and then next week one of these players is injured and I have to say to someone ‘ok sorry, maybe you read the newspaper, that’s not what I actually wanted to say’!

“It’s about having quality and bringing it on the pitch, that’s what all the players have.

"They need to perform, it’s not about being a nice guy, it’s about getting results for Liverpool.”