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LIVERPOOL -- Brendan Rodgers insists Mario Balotelli remains "very much a Liverpool player," amid growing speculation about the striker's future. Balotelli, 24, has been linked with a January return to Inter Milan, although his agent Mino Raiola and Nerazzurri coach Roberto Mancini have both dismissed those reports. The Italy international has yet to score a Premier League goal since arriving from AC Milan for 16 million pounds last summer, and is the subject of a Football Association investigation into a social media post he made that appeared to contain racist references. 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 striker's Anfield future, Rodgers told a news conference: "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 boss Jose Mourinho as "unmanageable." Balotelli, 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 but struggled to make an impression. Rodgers suggested in October that he would consider selling the player 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 Nov. 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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