Boss: I like Sakho's aggression
Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his delight at the 'excellent' form of Mamadou Sakho – and predicted that the French defender will only continue to get better.
Sakho has proven a powerful presence at the heart of Liverpool's defence in recent weeks, supplementing three successive starts with a first goal for the club against West Ham United.
Rodgers admits he's pleased with how the 23-year-old has performed.
The boss told Liverpoolfc.com: "He's been excellent. We've got a host of quality defenders here but through injuries, he's been able to come into the team and has settled in very, very well.
"I like his aggression; he first and foremost wants to defend and is aggressive in his marking. He defends the crosses well and he can also play.
"Even though he's 23 years of age, he's played a lot of games, has got a lot of experience and is someone I can see a lot of development in over the coming years."
Sakho arrived at Anfield in September from Paris Saint-Germain with a reputation as one of Europe's most exciting young defenders.
Rodgers is confident he will fulfil his vast potential as he continues to gain more experience.
"I think central defenders improve through experience," he added. "As I said, he's played a lot of games in his career so far, won a title at Paris Saint-Germain and he's a part of the French national team now, so his experience will ensure he improves as a player.
"That was something that was important for us because when you look around the world, there are not so many top-class central defenders - especially left-sided ones - so we had an opportunity to bring in someone that could serve the future of the club as well as the present. He's come to the fore and been great."