Pundit and ex-footballer Tam McManus believes Liverpool's Roberto Firmino may have reservations about staying if he's not given the game time.

The Lowdown: Firmino's deal is up this summer

The Brazilian's contract at Anfield is up in June of this year, which would make him a free agent should a deal not be reached between the player and the Premier League club.

Firmino joined Liverpool in the summer of 2015 from Hoffenheim, a few months before Jurgen Klopp would be appointed as Reds boss.

In all competitions, the 31-year-old has played 348 times for Liverpool, scoring 107 goals and assisting 78 times.

The Latest: McManus gives Firmino verdict

Speaking to Football Insider, McManus claims that the longer the contract situation drags on, the more he begins to think the player could have reservations about signing a new deal.

He said, “I feel like this Firmino thing has been going on for a while now,

“He was brilliant for Liverpool at the start of the season. He was banging them in and then unfortunately he’s got that injury that’s kept him out for a long time now.

“Klopp could do with having him back, not just because of his quality on the pitch, but he’s a leader. He’s one of the senior players there and he’s someone you look to when things aren’t going your way.

“The longer this goes on, the more you think there might be a problem. Is it game time? He’s an older player now and Liverpool have a lot of attackers.

“Maybe he wants guarantees that he will be playing because he is getting to the end of his career now and he wants to play as much as he can.

“These talks have been going on so I do think there is something wrong.

“It would have been sorted if everything was fine.”

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The Verdict: Firmino still has a lot to offer

We believe that Liverpool should offer Firmino a new deal, as he's proven to be a strong attacking outlet for them this season.

In the 2022/23 campaign so far, he's amassed 10 league goal contributions from 13 matches while also proving effective in Europe, with three goal contributions in the Champions League from six appearances.

The 31-year-old hasn't featured in any of Liverpool's last five Premier League games, with the Reds only winning twice in that time.

It's been a disastrous campaign for Klopp's side this season, who find themselves 10 points off the top four in ninth place, if Firmino were to hit the ground running on his return to the squad, you would think he can earn himself a new deal on his terms.