Brendan Rodgers has insisted that Mario Balotelli still has a future at Liverpool.
The Italian has repeatedly failed to impress this season – he has not started a game since the home defeat to Chelsea in November and has only two goals to his name in all competitions for the club – and there have been questions raised over whether Liverpool would sell him this January. However, Rodgers is adamant that Balotelli will not be leaving the club during the current transfer window and that the striker will be given his chance.
“We will give Mario every chance,” the manager said. “We brought him in here for this season to give him every chance to show consistently that he can play for a team at the top of this level. It’s been a difficult period for him but he’s a good boy. He wants to fight for his chance here.
“I’ve seen some bits this morning suggesting that’s him done here,” he added. “That’s not the case at all. I’ve shown in my time here that if players who have been out the fold for various reasons work hard every day in training and show intensity and focus then they have every chance of getting back in the side and staying there.”
Meanwhile, Rodgers said that Daniel Sturridge, who has returned from his rehabilitation programme in the US to train alongside his Liverpool team-mates, has a chance of playing some part against his former club Chelsea in the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge but he will assess the forward’s fitness ahead of the game.
Speaking to the club’s website, Rodgers said: “We’ll see how he is today … He had a training session with the team yesterday and he trained very, very well. It was as comfortable as he’s looked, even when he was coming back before – he was maybe a little bit tentative. I thought yesterday he looked back to normal.
“We won’t risk it, that’s for sure. He’s been out for a long time, so we just need to make sure he is ready and feels ready, which is important, to come and contribute. I don’t think he’ll be 100% when he comes back, that will only come when he’s got his game time once he gets playing games.”
