How are the retarded and advanced L-W EM potentials interpreted in QFT?

[john mcandrew]

Before QFT was developed in its current form, the Lienard-Wiechert (LW) potentials were physically interpreted as diverging or converging from/upon an electric charge q in the retarded and advanced cases respectively. How has this picture changed compared to today; given that the electron is considered to be an excitation of an electron field, a photon an excitation of the electromagnetic field?

In particular, are the electric charges still considered sources/sinks of the retarded/advanced LW potentials in today's models of CED?

Thanks in advance,

JMc