Balotelli is not a problem

The Reds recruited maverick Italy striker Balotelli from AC Milan last month and the former Manchester City player opened his scoring account for his new club in their 2-1 Champions League victory over Ludogorets last Tuesday.

Then on Sunday he was the victim of racial abuse on Twitter after he reacted to Manchester United’s shock defeat to Leicester by tweeting: “Man Utd...LOL’’.

Merseyside Police have since confirmed they are looking into the matter, and Liverpool emphasised that, with that being the case, neither they nor Rodgers would be making any comment on it at his press conference to preview Tuesday’s Capital One Cup home game with Middlesbrough.

But the manager did say about Balotelli: “Every player is different, and I have really enjoyed working with him so far.

“He is a good guy, he wants to do well for the club and he has shown me that he cares enough about the club (for me) to devote that time to him.

“For me, he is not complicated – he is a football player who wants to do well in his life and his career, and if he continues to give everything and work tirelessly for the cause, then there will always be an opportunity here for him.”

While Balotelli was among a host of players signed over the summer, the club lost the services of Luis Suarez.

And the Reds have made a disappointing start to this season, with Saturday’s 3-1 loss at West Ham the third defeat from their opening five Premier League games.

Rodgers said: “There is a natural transition in the group, and where there is that transition, there are little bumps along the way.

“Mario is one of a number of players we brought in and for them all, no matter how good their quality, it is going to take a wee bit of time to gel with the players that were already here.”

And specifically on tonight, Rodgers said: “We need to concentrate on the game night. It’s important for us and we want to get through. We want to win a trophy this season – it’s still a key objective for us.”