While James Tomkins was once a solid operator for Crystal Palace, the centre-back is now burning a wage by sitting on the bench each week, so Patrick Vieira should ensure he leaves the club as soon as possible.

The English defender joined the Eagles from West Ham in 2016 in a deal worth £10m and he would be a regular in his first few seasons at Selhurst Park, but he has understandably seen his game time dwindle as he reaches the end of his career.

The 33-year-old has made 125 appearances for Palace in total, contributing nine goals and two assists, but he has also mustered just 18 appearances across the last three seasons.

Vieira opted to hand the veteran defender a new deal during the summer but that decision is yet to be justified, as he has made just one substitute appearance so far this season and looks unlikely to usurp Marc Guehi or Joachim Andersen from the starting lineup anytime soon.

While it is easy to see why the French manager might have wanted to keep Tomkins at the club in case of an injury crisis, as well as for the experience he offers both on and off the pitch, he is also proving a very expensive option.

According to Capology, the former West Ham man earns £50k per week at Selhurst Park, which is more than first-team regulars such as Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Tyrick Mitchell.

Fortunately for Palace, Tomkins' contract is set to expire at the end of the season, when he should surely be released, as it is clear that he is no longer good enough to be featuring on a regular basis in the Premier League.

There is no doubt that the centre-back has been a good servant for the club, with Vieira full of praise for him last season when he enjoyed a rare run of starts in the top flight, even scoring in a 3-1 win over Everton.

The Frenchman said: “His performance today was fantastic – we’re talking about a player who didn’t start for the whole season, and then he played three games in a row last week.

“Today, his experience and calmness helped us get through those difficult moments in the second half.

While it is always good for a manager to have an experienced option to rely upon should things go south, Tomkins looks set to make just a handful of appearances again this season, which does not justify his excessive wage, so Vieira should look to move him on at the earliest opportunity.