Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that he needs to give winger Raheem Sterling a "breather".

The 18-year-old has become a regular in the Reds' first team as well as breaking into the England senior squad but Rodgers has claimed that it has been difficult to give Sterling a rest due to the lack of depth in his squad.

"There is no doubt Raheem is one who does need that breather," the Daily Mail quotes Rodgers as saying. "I've thought about it over the past couple of weeks. In order to do that you need to have that depth to take him out and put somebody else in.

"That's something I'm thinking about – who to put in. He's a naturally very, very fit boy but he needs that mental rest as well. For the kid as well, it's about efficiency as well, tactically he's still very young. That time will come and he will get the breather soon enough."

The Reds currently sit 12th in the league table.