Former Liverpool forward Fabio Borini has signed a short-term contract with Salford City, who ply their trade in the fourth division of English football.
The Italian was signed from Roma in 2012 under Brendan Rodgers, but never realised his full potential on Merseyside, scoring only three goals.
Borini left Liverpool in 2015 after just 38 appearances, initially signing for Sunderland before joining AC Milan, Hellas Verona, Fatih Karagumruk and Sampdoria.
He spent this summer taking part in a Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) pre-season camp designed for unsigned players to stay fit and find their next club.
The 34-year-old then received an invitation to train with Salford City’s first team, with an injury to Jay Bird subsequently presenting an opportunity for the forward to sign a short-term contract.
Borini has signed a deal until January with the League Two club, which is owned by a consortium headed by Gary Neville and David Beckham.
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It is not the first time Borini has played outside a country’s top division, but it will be his first foray in League Two, which he is embracing having not played competitively since June.
“I’ve never played League Two football so I need to learn as well from my team mates the main characteristics of this league,” he told Salford’s official website.
“It’s a challenge that I’m embracing and I chose to embrace because I needed the real football, something that warms my heart for football, not for anything else.”
It is a surprise move despite him nearing the end of his career, with this marking his return to English football seven years on from his Sunderland exit in 2018.
Borini is not the only former Liverpool player at Salford; he will join the club’s former youngest goalscorer Ben Woodburn in the League Two side’s dressing room.
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