Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has given the biggest hint yet that Mario Balotelli is not part of his future plans for the club, after admitting that the high-intensity pressing style he demands from his players is 'not really his game'.

Speaking ahead of the Reds trip to Burnley on Boxing Day, Rodgers said that Balotelli was not suited to the style of football that his team plays, but that as a manager you try to get the best out of the players you have available.

Rodgers also admitted that with his other strike Fabio Borini missing the next match through suspension, he was grateful that Balotelli's return provided another squad option ahead of the game.

Balotelli was signed by Liverpool from AC Milan for £16m in the summer. On 18 December, he was banned for one match and fined £25,000 for posting an image on social media, which appeared to contain anti-Semitic and racist references.

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