Ex-Liverpool star Mamadou Sakho 'attacks' coach in dressing room bust-up

Former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho could be facing the sack from Montpellier after a training-ground altercation with his coach.

The centre back, now 33, joined Montpellier from Crystal Palace back in 2021, but has seen almost zero game time this season.

Sakho, who made 80 appearances for Liverpool between 2023 and 2016, has played just six minutes in Ligue 1 in 2023/24.

According to L'Equipe, the incident between Sakho and Montpellier head coach Michel Der Zakarian took place in the dressing rooms at the club's Grammont centre training ground on Tuesday evening, with the pair having to be pulled apart by players and staff members.

Sakho is said to have stormed out of training after not being awarded a foul, leading to a war of words with his unimpressed coach.

Der Zakarian’s 'derogatory' remarks reportedly led to Sakho grabbing the 60-year-old by the collar before knocking him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Ligue 1 reporter Mohamed Toubache-Ter claims that that Der Zakarian called Sakho a 'cry-baby' and that coach's necklace – a family heirloom – was broken in the brawl.

L’Equipe add that the 'attack' may well spell the end for the former Red, who could even be dismissed by for serious misconduct.

Sakho – who became something of a cult figure at Anfield after arriving from PSG for £18m in 2013 – was a regular source of disciplinary issues during his stint at Liverpool.

The youngest captain in PSG's history had fallings out with both Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp, with the latter sending him home early from a pre-season tour of the USA for failing to respect club rules.

In July 2016, Klopp said: “It’s not that serious. He missed the departure of the plane, he missed a session and then was late for a meal … I have to build a group here, I have to start anew, so I thought it maybe made sense that he flew home to Liverpool and after eight days, when we come back, we can talk about it."

Sakho was later demoted to the reserves by Klopp and left for Crystal Palace on an initial loan deal in January 2017.

In a now infamous clip from an official club video of the summer tour in 2016, Klopp can be seen 'jokingly' castigating Sakho for his ill-discipline – adding that he would like to leave the centre back on Alcatraz.