Liverpool legend John Aldridge has told Jurgen Klopp not to start Adam Lallana and Naby Keita in midfield again until they are up to speed.
An injury crisis saw the pair feature in the Reds recent Premier League outing against West Ham that ultimately saw Klopp’s men drop two points.
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Keita joined Liverpool last summer from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig a year after penning his deal.
However, the Guinean international has found it hard to cement a regular place in the Liverpool team, having started in 11 of the Reds’ opening 25 league outings.
Meanwhile, Lallana has been dogged by injuries since the backend of the 2016/17 season.
His start against West Ham was Lallana’s first since October 2018 and ninth overall league appearance this season.
And John Aldridge believes neither should start for Liverpool again until they are up to speed.
Lallana, starting in his first league game since Liverpool’s comfortable win over Cardiff City (4-1) in October 2018, nevertheless played a key role in Sadio Mane’s opener.
Renowned for his intelligent footwork the former Southampton captain, surrounded by a couple of West Ham defenders, would feed James Milner – albeit in an offside position – to tee up the Senegalese forward.
However, that piece of ingenuity was a rare moment as Lallana would struggle before going off in the 69th minute. As for Keita, much heralded prior to joining Liverpool, it was another subdued performance.
Aldridge, a league champion with the Reds, after watching the game (and seeing the Hammers equalise through Michail Antonio following a well-crafted free-kick) feels Klopp can ill-afford to start both together again.