Buvac, right, has become increasingly withdrawn around the club in recent weeks

Zeljko Buvac, Liverpool’s assistant manager and the man Jürgen Klopp calls “The Brain,” will not work with the first team for the remainder of the season and appears to be on the verge of leaving the club.

Liverpool have said the matter is due to personal reasons and that Buvac’s position at Anfield is not affected.

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However, his absence at such a crucial juncture of the season — Liverpool face Roma in their Champions League semi-final, second leg, on Wednesday — is extraordinary.

It is understood Buvac has become increasingly distant and withdrawn around the club, and visibly less engaged during matches recently, and it is that, rather than any specific fall-out with Klopp, which has resulted in his stepping back from first-team duties in