Brendan Rodgers: Mario Balotelli matter closed, now striker must prove he has Liverpool future

Posted Friday, October 24, 2014 by skysports.com

Brendan Rodgers: Mario Balotelli matter closed, now striker must prove he has Liverpool future
Mario Balotelli and Pepe swap shirts at Anfield

Brendan Rodgers says he has already dealt with Mario Balotelli's half-time shirt-swap against Real Madrid.

The Liverpool striker risked angering supporters by publicly handing Pepe his shirt with his side 3-0 down after 45 minutes of Wednesday's Champions League game.

Rodgers afterwards said he would talk to Balotelli and, as far as the manager is concerned, the issue is now in the past.

"Any action would be kept within ourselves," he told. "(There was) a conversation on the coach or in this country and, in particular, Liverpool and that was it. Matter closed."

The debate about Balotelli's form shows little sign of abating, though, and two Liverpool greats had their say on Sky Sports in the hours after the Real Madrid game.

Graeme Souness questioned whether the £16m summer signing is able "to see the football picture", while Jamie Carragher went as far as to suggest Balotelli will be sold before next season.

Rodgers defended the player against accusations of a lack of effort but stopped short of guaranteeing his long-term Anfield future.

He said: "I think there'll be that (speculation) - whether it's deserved or not, it's part of the game and you have to accept that.

"The boy's genuinely trying very, very hard. Longer-term we'll see where that works out for him, but certainly he is working hard on the training field to improve his opportunities to play and score goals.

"As long as he's doing his best that is all I can ask as a manager. Whether that best is going to be good enough longer-term remains to be seen, but that's the same for every player.

"I think he's like every other player: he wants to score and obviously at this moment he's not. Hard work will improve your confidence, and when you're confident you have more success. It's as simple as that."

Balotelli's next chance to score his first league goal of the season could come against Hull on Saturday, although his chances of starting could be affected by Raheem Sterling's second-half performance in a central role on Wednesday.

Rodgers said: "He's a very talented young player, Raheem. He's played as a striker as a youngster so he understands that position well. It's something I can consider in the future."

But Carragher reckons Liverpool will look to offload their £16m summer signing in one of the next two transfer windows.

“I can’t change the way I feel about Balotelli, and that’s nothing to do with what he’s done in a Liverpool shirt. It’s what he’s done at Man City, what he’s done at AC Milan,” said Carragher.

“Do I think he’s going to be here long term? No. I’d be surprised to see him here next season if I’m being honest. These players, who are continually moved on, it’s for a reason.

“I wouldn’t say that was the worst I’ve seen Balotelli play. I wouldn’t say he was by far Liverpool’s worst player. He’s taken him off because he wanted more intensity. Well, we spoke about that before the game. I don’t think what he did in the first half was a surprise to anyone or the manager.”

Meanwhile, reports emerged on Thursday evening that police are investigating claims the Italian threatened a woman said to have taken photographs of his Ferrari vehicle.

The striker is understood to have been visiting his mother's home in Manchester on Thursday afternoon, the day after the Madrid match, when the alleged incident took place.