Fabio Borini’s loan move to Sunderland on the final day of the transfer window raised a few eyebrows, but Brendan Rodgers believes it will do the Italian forward good.
Borini has struggled to lay down a first team place since his £10million move Roma last summer, not helped by a succession of injuries.
The 22-year-old has found himself slipping down the pecking order in the attacking options at Liverpool since the arrival of Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho, Iago Aspas, and yesterday, Victor Moses.
Borini has made just 20 appearances for the Reds first team since his arrival, scoring twice.
Rodgers wants the Italian U21 international to get more game time at the highest level and was glad of the Black Cats’ offer to take him on loan for the remainder of the 2013/14 season.
“It’s just to get games,” Rodgers told the official Liverpool website. “He had a stop-start season last year with his injuries and I just felt this year he needed to go and play football.
“With Daniel Sturridge, Luis Suarez, Iago Aspas and some of the other attacking players, that might have been limited.
“I have a real belief in Fabio – he is a talent and we’ve seen that on occasions, but he needs to be playing regularly to demonstrate that talent.
“We had a host of clubs wanting to take him, but with Sunderland having the Italian connection there and being a big club where he can go and play, I’m sure he’ll get the chance to shine and we’ll look closely at his development this year.”
Borini will be joined at the Stadium of Light by former Liverpool left-back Andrea Dossena as Paolo Di Canio takes the Mackems molto Italiano.
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