BIRKENHEAD, England -- Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho made a return to competitive football after 162 days out as he featured for the under-23 side on Wednesday night.
The Frenchman played the entire 90 minutes of the U23's 2-1 defeat to Wolfsburg in the Premier League International Cup at Prenton Park -- the home of National League side Tranmere Rovers.
Sakho looked solid throughout his comeback and went close to scoring as he hit the post with a header from a corner kick in the second half.
The centre-half last played for Liverpool's first team in April after he was suspended by UEFA for failing a drugs test for which he was later cleared.
Sakho was free to return to start the season but an Achilles injury meant he would began Liverpool's Premier League campaign on the sidelines.
Sakho is well down the pecking order at Anfield after he was sent home from the preseason tour to the United States for disciplinary issues and went against the club's wishes as he rejected a number of chances to leave on loan in the summer.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Sakho reportedly voiced his frustration on social media about being frozen out at Anfield, with manager Jurgen Klopp admitting that the situation after his outburst was not a "positive" one.
Klopp previously stated that the former Paris Saint-Germain captain needed to focus on being fit again after such a long absence.
Speaking to reporters after the game, U23s manager Michael Beale was pleased with the performance and application from the 26-year-old.
"He trained with me yesterday and then today it was just about seeing how he felt," Beale said. "With 10 minutes to go, we had a quick chat and there were no problems.
"I thought he applied himself well and he was unlucky not to score."