(Reuters) - West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jake Livermore has been given time off to recover from mental fatigue, manager Tony Pulis has said.
The England international has made four appearances this season but was not part of the squad for West Brom's goalless draw at home against West Ham United on Saturday.
Pulis said Livermore would also miss the League Cup fixture against Manchester City on Wednesday but hoped the 27-year-old would be fit for next Monday's trip to Arsenal.
"We had a chat with Jake at the beginning of the week... he has felt a little bit jaded, mentally more than anything else," Pulis told British media.
"We check all of his running stats, and his data, and he had dropped off a bit. I think playing all the time has really, really taken it out of the boy.
"He is such a good player for us that we don't want to risk him going into a deeper, deeper, deeper hole."
Livermore, who joined West Brom from Hull City in January, tested positive for cocaine in 2015 and escaped a ban after the FA ruled there were "specific and unique" circumstances relating to the death of his baby son Jake Jr.
(This story corrects to Wednesday from Thursday in third para)
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
