Liverpool central defender Mamadou Sakho may have failed a doping test 10 days before his club faced Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarterfinals.

The Premier League club announced in a statement on Saturday afternoon that they had received confirmation from UEFA that they were investigating a possible anti-doping rule violation from the player.

Sakho not the first

Although the club would not confirm what the player may have taken and when the test was done, French broadcasters BFM TV reported that Sakho took a fat burner called ephedrine, which is legal in the United States but illegal in the United Kingdom.

They also reported that Sakho failed the test after the 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Europa League. Maradona was banned in 1994 for testing positive for the same substance.

Liverpool confirmed that Sakho would respond to the allegations personally. Sakho will not take part in first team activities and will not be available for selection for Jürgen Klopp's squad while the situation is ongoing.

Following Saturday's 3-0 win over Stuttgart, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc stated that the club would not be launching a protest over Liverpool remaining in the European competition at their expense, adding: "That we're out is down to us."