LIVERPOOL -- Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists he has had no thoughts of allowing striker Mario Balotelli to leave in January.
Balotelli has been linked with a return to Inter Milan in recent days, a move that would reunite him with boss Roberto Mancini, for whom he played during a previous spell at the club, as well as at Manchester City.
Mancini said during the week that he would be interested in a deal, but that any move would be up to the 24-year-old.
Rodgers admitted on Dec. 24 that Balotelli's style of play does not fit in with the 3-4-2-1 formation he has adopted in recent matches, and has since indicated that the Italy international may have to get used to being on the bench.
Balotelli, who has played just 45 minutes for Liverpool since Nov. 8 because of a groin injury and a suspension, was an unused substitute on Boxing Day as the Reds won 1-0 at Burnley in the Premier League.
And he is unlikely to make the starting lineup for Monday's home match against Rodgers' former club Swansea.
Balotelli has yet to score in the Premier League for Liverpool, having arrived from AC Milan for 16 million pounds in August, and his long-term future at the club is in doubt just four months into a three-year contract.
But Rodgers is not contemplating a January deal to move the striker on, telling a news conference: "It's not something I've even thought about, to be honest. We've had a lot of games this season in a lot of competitions, and at the moment, the key for me is to try to keep the squad together."
Rodgers has been reluctant to commit himself to discussing Balotelli's long-term Liverpool future in public, but does believe that Emre Can will be in for a lengthy stay at Anfield.
The Germany under-21 midfielder, 20, came on at half-time against Burnley to play on the right side of a three-man central defence, and was instrumental in providing a solid base for the Reds' victory, secured by Raheem Sterling's goal.
Can, signed from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, has made only 10 appearances for Liverpool, with his progress held up after he suffered ankle ligament damage while on international duty in September.
Rodgers said: "Emre Can played centre-half in one of the games I took in when I went to see him last year, in a 4-2-3-1.
"He's got a big future here. It's just been curtailed a little bit from the summer, when he was trying to gain his fitness, and was injured.
"He had an ankle issue that meant he missed training, and was in and out. But he's got great athleticism, and you could see his presence on the pitch yesterday.
"He's an outstanding footballer. He's a very young player acclimatising to the game here. But his favoured position is more defensive.
"I've played him in an attacking role because I think that's something he can do more of. But he's certainly a player who, if you asked him his profile, he would say that he likes to play in that sitting role, where he can dictate the game as well as be physical in the challenge and the duel.
"I thought he was outstanding yesterday. We needed to build the ball better. Yesterday our possession wasn't so good. We lost the ball too quickly, which didn't give us a chance to get into good positions on the field in order to keep the ball.
"Him coming on gave us that assurance in possession and the physicality when we didn't have the ball. He's a player I know can play in a number of positions, and play well, and someone whose influence will become greater as the season goes on."