Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has been dropped indefinitely

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has defended his decision to rest number one goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for the clash against Manchester United, which the Reds lost 3-0.

The Belgian keeper has been under a lot of pressure following a spate of mistakes in recent games, and it was expected that the manager will drop him at some point, but the timing could be questioned, as his replacement Brad Jones had hardly got any game time before being thrown into the deep end against United.

However, the Northern Irishman has revealed that the goalkeeper was not just dropped for the clash against United, but is also set to be second choice for an indefinite period. He believes it is better for Mignolet to sit out for a period of time to get back his best form.

"Yes. I said to Simon it was for an indefinite period," Rodgers said, as quoted by talkSPORT.

"It is something that can happen to keepers, taking them out of the firing line to give them time to reflect."

The former Swansea boss is confident that his number two keeper can step up and perform at the highest level and cover for his more experienced colleague.

"Brad is very experienced and was always going to play in the [League Cup quarter-final against] Bournemouth [on Wednesday]."

"He has played in a lot of games and Brad in my first year came in and did very well," the Reds manager added.

"[Against United] he didn't have much to do other than take the ball out of the net."

Liverpool signed Mignolet from Sunderland for a reported £9m. He was in sensational form at the beginning of last season, but this season has seen the goalkeeper fall of his perch and commit some serious errors against Ludogorets and Leicester, which has now culminated in him being dropped from the team.

Rodgers has praised the goalkeeper for being a model professional and accepting his decision to rest him, following continuous scrutiny from the start of the season.

"Simon has been fine. He is a really good pro. I spoke to him and he accepted it. I just felt after the Basle game that I needed to make the change."

"We give the chance to every player. We had kept a few clean sheets but I felt it was something we needed to do," Rodgers explained.