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Mamadou Sakho has suffered a fresh setback with the Liverpool defender set to miss the start of the new Premier League season due to an Achilles injury.

The France international was hoping to relaunch his Reds career after being cleared of a doping violation by UEFA last week.

However, Sakho is expected to be sidelined for another month after being told by medical staff he needs to rest a problem which hampered him in the second half of last season.

It’s a major blow for manager Jurgen Klopp, whose centre-back options have been depleted this summer. Kolo Toure was released and Martin Skrtel is on the brink of completing a £5.5million move to Fenerbahce.

Joel Matip arrived from Schalke but in Sakho’s continued absence Dejan Lovren is the only other recognised senior centre-back.

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“Mama had a little issue with his Achilles when he was playing, one day on, one off, this kind of thing,” Klopp revealed.

“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.

“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.”

Sakho, who hasn’t played since April 20, is considering his next move off the field after UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body dismissed the case against him - some three months after accusing him of failing a drugs test.

The former Paris Saint-Germain defender, who missed out of the Europa League final with Liverpool and Euro 2016 with France, could take legal action against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), who unsuccessfully argued that the 26-year-old had taken a prohibited substance in a ‘fat burner’.

However, Sakho and Liverpool are also waiting to discover if WADA intend to exercise their right to appeal against UEFA’s ruling to clear the player.

With the process still ongoing, Klopp has to pick his words carefully.

“I cannot say too much as a manager. I don’t know exactly what will happen now from Mama’s side or UEFA’s side,” Klopp added.

“But as a human being I can say it’s a sad story. He didn’t play now for three and a half months. That’s obviously not really cool but we all know that doping is a very serious thing and we cannot have that.

“But I am sure they tried to do the right thing. Others have to talk about this because I don’t know what I am allowed or able to say. That’s one thing and the other is that Mama is currently injured.”