Steve McManaman Tips Jurgen Klopp for Title Tilt, Criticises Mamadou Sakho

Former Liverpool star Steve McManaman believes Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is turning the Anfield club into title challengers once again.

McManaman said if Liverpool can go on from the UEFA Europa League semi-finals and win the competition, thus qualifying for next season's Champions League, they could attract better players in the summer and return to the upper echelons of English football, per BT Sport (via the Daily Mail's Sam Cunningham):

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Klopp has put Liverpool on the map again. Beating Borussia Dortmund got people excited, people are noticing Liverpool again.

With the team in good form, a bit more experience, a good summer, Klopp's signings could turn them into title challengers. It's going to be difficult.

You expect Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte to be given a bundle of money by Manchester City and Chelsea's owners. Manchester United could have a new manager.

But you'd like to see Liverpool in the top four or five, certainly fighting. Liverpool are heading in the right direction and with Klopp bringing in his own players it's exciting.

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The one-time England winger also slammed Mamadou Sakho for his recent failed drugs test, saying it was "inexcusable" for the Frenchman not to check with a doctor before taking what is believed to be a fat-burner containing banned substances.  

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The centre-back has not opted to challenge UEFA over his failed test and is now "set to be suspended from playing for between six months and two years," but McManaman has little sympathy with Sakho's plight, per BT Sport (via Cunningham):

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Players are surrounded by doctors and sports scientists and you shouldn't be taking anything without speaking to them first.

If you're taking a supplement, Beechams, Lemsip, you tell the doctor you've got a bit of a cold, or you've got a sore throat so can you take a Strepsil.

It is inexcusable to be taking stuff and not checking with a doctor. He probably thought it was fine, he probably didn't think about it at the time, but he's certainly going to pay for it.

Back in my day you wouldn't take anything without giving a doctor prior notice and there are more medics around players than ever to check with.

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Per BBC Sport, Liverpool and Sakho have agreed that he "will remain unavailable" during the UEFA investigation thus he is unlikely to play again for the remainder of the season.

Given he is arguably Liverpool's most reliable defender this is a major blow, particularly with the first leg of their Europa League semi-final coming up against Villarreal on Thursday.

And Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe believes Sakho's absence—along with Jordan Henderson and Emre Can being injured—could prove fatal to Liverpool's chances of getting a result at El Madrigal:

The Reds showed against Borussia Dortmund in the last round, though, that they are capable of engineering a turnaround when at home in the second leg.

But, even if Liverpool do go out of the Europa League at the semi-final stage, Klopp has instilled a new confidence and verve in the Anfield side since he succeeded Brendan Rodgers in October last year, and there is cause for optimism.

He is likely to make major moves in the summer transfer window as he looks to bring in his own players to add to the core that he has already developed with those available to him.

Even without Champions League football, Klopp has a big enough profile to attract top stars, not least from former club Dortmund, with highly-rated BVB centre-back Neven Subotic potentially set to rejoin the German manager at Anfield, per Bundesliga expert Alex Chaffer:

Given that the defence has been a key area of concern for Liverpool for some time, bringing in the experienced Serbian would be a canny move by Klopp.

But Liverpool have also been linked with some exciting attacking talent, key among them another former Klopp player at Dortmund, Mario Gotze, per Paul Joyce in the Daily Express. 

The Bayern Munich winger has been unsettled and underused at the Allianz Arena and could well be tempted by a reunion with Klopp, especially considering the upward trajectory Liverpool look to be on.

Given the successes Klopp has had with a squad not yet his own this season, Liverpool could be a force to be reckoned with again in the Premier League next term following a summer of preparation and transfer activity.