Liverpool legend John Barnes has backed Jurgen Klopp's decision to send Mamadou Sakho home from the club's pre-season tour of the United States for disciplinary reasons.

The 26-year-old was banished from the tour having turned up late on three separate occasions, although Klopp has since insisted that the situation is not a serious one.

Barnes believes that the decision shows good discipline and that Klopp's reputation as a manager will earn him the backing of the fans when he has to make those tough calls.

"Managers needs to be given that autonomy. The manager needs to be given that strength to then say if 'I take a decision to drop somebody or to send them home or tell someone off then you will have to back me' - and the fans do," Barnes is quoted as saying by PA.

"There are certain managers, [Jose] Mourinho, [Antonio] Conte, [Pep] Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, they can take decisions and the fans will back them. That's not happened in the past. Players have been too powerful at the clubs in the past where things have gone wrong and you blame the manager.

"Liverpool fans aren't going to blame Jurgen Klopp, and that's when the players will then need to take on the responsibility and the accountability for the bad performances because when they play badly we are not going to say it's 'Jurgen's fault', and that's what has to happen."

Sakho will miss the start of the new season due to injury.