Mario Balotelli facing Liverpool exit after withdrawing himself from squad to face Arsenal

Liverpool flop Mario Balotelli has moved a step closer to ending his Anfield nightmare and leaving the club after Brendan Rodgers revealed that he withdrew himself from the squad to face Arsenal after a "slight knock" in training, according to the Daily Mail.

The former Manchester City and AC Milan striker would have been third choice, behind Daniel Sturridge who was named on the bench, though the ease at which he seemingly withdrew speaks volumes about how he feels.

Rodgers told the press he didn't travel to the game following a training knock and said, "He trained on Friday afternoon with the team and he took a slight knock to his knee and he deemed himself not able to travel.

"I'm not a medic. He felt it was too sore to travel. The medical staff have looked at it. It was just something that he himself didn't feel comfortable enough to travel."

The Liverpool manager did not question the striker's committment levels, but Balotelli has been a source of much frustration for fans and management alike, with Rodgers having previously claimed he must work harder to adapt to Liverpool's style.

Balotelli has scored only four goals this season and after this, along with a series of strange Instagram posts, it is clear he isn't one hundred per cent happy at Anfield, despite still having three years to run on his contract after his £16 million move last summer.