REUTERS – Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho felt like a “caged lion” when left on the bench by former manager Brendan Rodgers, the defender told L’Equipe.

The 25-year-old French made his first start of the season against Ligue 1 side Bordeaux in the Europa League on Sept. 17 and he did not hide his frustration after missing Liverpool’s opening five games.

“Let’s say that during the short period when I was not playing, I was like a little caged lion who has not fed for a while,” he told L’Equipe.

“(Like a caged lion) when you open the door, he charges.”

Sakho’s aggression was evident in Sunday’s Merseyside derby with the former Paris St Germain man getting into scuffles with Everton’s Steven Naismith and Romelu Lukaku.

He was shown a yellow card in added time for his spat with Lukaku, in what was to become Rodgers’ last game in charge of Liverpool.

Five-times European champions Liverpool languish in 10th place in the Premier League table with 12 points from eight games.

(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)