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Rodgers plays down Balotelli exit talk

Mario Balotelli has struggled to impress since his £16m move to Liverpool this summer © Getty Images

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Brendan Rodgers insists Mario Balotelli remains "very much a Liverpool player" amid growing speculation about the striker's future.

Balotelli has been linked with a January return to Inter Milan, despite both his agent Mino Raiola and Inter coach Roberto Mancini dismissing such reports.

The Italian has yet to score a league goal for Liverpool since arriving from AC Milan for £16 million, and is currently the subject of a Football Association investigation into a social media post he made that appeared to contain racist remarks.

Balotelli, who has apologised for the post, will not face Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday as he is recovering from a groin problem that has kept him out of Liverpool's last four matches.

Asked about the Balotelli's future at Anfield, Rodgers said: "He's very much still a Liverpool player but he's injured at the moment and there's nothing much more to add.

"He's not fit to play. My concentration at this very moment is on the players who are fit and available."

Balotelli signed a three-year contract when he arrived on Merseyside, but came with a reputation for trouble, having been described by his former Inter manager Jose Mourinho as "unmanageable".

The forward, who prefers to play in a free role behind a main striker, was asked to lead the attack when Daniel Sturridge was injured in early September, and struggled to make an impression.

Rodgers suggested in October that he would consider selling Balotelli as early as January if his form did not improve. But the former Manchester City forward has not played since suffering a groin injury that forced him to pull out of the Italy squad for their Euro 2016 qualifier against Croatia on November 16.

Rodgers says he still does not know when Balotelli will be fit to play again.

He said: "He's working with the medical team on a daily basis. When he's back fit, we'll see where he's at. I trust the team here to look after the injury. We hope he's available sooner rather than later."

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