Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has expressed his belief that he has showed resilience to force his way into the starting lineup with the club.

The Frenchman appeared to be on the brink of leaving Brendan Rodgers's side after walking out of Anfield as a result of being dropped for the Merseyside derby earlier in the season.

However, Sakho has bounced back and has now become an integral part of the Reds' backline alongside Martin Skrtel over the past three months of the campaign.

"It was a bad moment for me, a difficult time. It was a normal reaction, you know – I felt bad, disappointed [at being axed]. I want to play all the time, it is the same with all the players, we want to play for the red shirt and in the big games," Sakho told reporters.

"It was hard for me yes, and then I was injured for a long time. But one thing about me, I have a strong mentality all the time. I work hard, I try to fight hard.

"People know my mentality – I never give up. If I am out of the team I will never leave, will never walk away from the fight because of my life before. When I was younger, my life was very difficult, very hard, I had to experience some very difficult times. And I think I have a good mentality because of that."

Sakho is expected to start for the Reds in the Merseyside derby against Everton later today.