Brendan Rodgers has hit back at criticism of Hamza Choudhury following his tackle on Mohamed Salah during Liverpool's 2-1 win over Leicester.
The challenge forced the Reds' forward off - and despite two weeks of rest over the international break, he could not recover in time for Liverpool's clash with Manchester United on Sunday.
The Foxes' midfielder was booked for his tackle which Jurgen Klopp branded "dangerous as hell".
The Liverpool boss also added that the 22-year-old needs to "calm down". But Rodgers has leaped to the defence of his player.
"The reaction to Hamza was right over the top for me. The boy went in to make a tackle," he told the Mirror .
"Mo Salah is a world-class player but you can tackle him. It wasn't even a bad tackle.
"You have to ensure they stay aggressive because that is their game, without overstepping the line.
"If you look at the team we play in an aggressive but sporting way.
"Young Hamza is one of those lads that play on the limit and is fighting for his career.
"His strength is recovering the ball and retrieving the ball, which he is very good at, and he is learning other aspects of his game.
"The only way is constant work and talking with him."
Salah is expected to return to action in this evening as the Reds take on Genk in the Champions League.
