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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been urged by David James to drop out-of-sorts right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold after the defender's dismal performance on Monday against Southampton.
Alexander-Arnold has been struggling of late and his poor patch of form culminated in his display at St Mary's, during which he gave the ball away 38 times and was at fault for the only goal. He came under fire from plenty of Liverpool fans over his iffy performance against the Saints.
The former Reds goalkeeper called for the 22-year-old to be dropped whilst appearing on Stadium Astro, saying: "Do you drop him, or do you rest him? The word dropped sounds somewhat final. I think it's giving someone a breather. I think he needs a rest."
James, who played 277 times for Liverpool, went on to praise the start the 22-year-old has made to his career at Anfield, before claiming that the injury picked up earlier in the season could still be having an adverse effect on his performances, saying: "I don't think he has recovered from that mentally or in his normal life habit."
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So far this season, the young marauding full-back has claimed just two assists, way down on his usual numbers since breaking into Jurgen Klopp's first team.
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James Milner replaced Alexander-Arnold during Monday's defeat and would be in contention alongside Neco Williams to come in on a more permanent basis.
However, with an FA Cup tie against Aston Villa up next, a fixture for which the 22-year-old would have likely been rested for anyway, it presents an ideal opportunity to get a break from the action and get himself back to his usual self ahead of the visit of Manchester United to Anfield the following weekend.
There would be no better occasion for Alexander-Arnold to rediscover his spark and answer his critics than in that latter fixture.