Liverpool Transfer News: Fabio Borini Deserves First-Team Chance After Exit Snub

Having rejected the chance to leave Anfield over the summer, Fabio Borini is showing a desire to realise his Liverpool dream, a desire that Brendan Rodgers should consider rewarding as his season wears on.

The Italian's agent, Marco De Marchi, recently spoke to FcInterNews.it (h/t Football Italia) regarding his client's intentions to succeed on Merseyside, despite slipping down the pecking order behind other attackers:

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Borini is a top level player, so consequently he has a contract with Liverpool and any club interested knows how to approach them. At this moment I am certainly not going to look for another club, as the boy is happy to remain at Liverpool. Let’s not forget he left a journey he already started at Roma in order to come to England.

Liverpool have no intention of loaning him out, as they already proved in August. We know that and so do all the clubs who came looking for him in the last transfer session. The situation is exactly the same as it was in September, in the sense that he is very happy to be part of this important team. At this moment we don’t have anything in mind for his future, as the lad is focused only on his team and the current campaign.

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Borini is contending with an improved crop of players at Anfield this season, where Daniel Sturridge and Mario Balotelli sit ahead of him in the striker ranks, Rickie Lambert arguably on a level pegging.

Positions out wide have become more coveted, too, with Lazar Markovic and Adam Lallana arriving this summer to rival the likes of Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho.

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By rights, many players will have arrived at deadline day, seen the competition laid in front of them and chosen to head for supposedly greener pastures, but Borini is showing a mettle that not every player possesses.

Upon choosing to stay with the Reds this season, the former Chelsea and Roma starlet took to Twitter, explaining his pride as a result of the decision to remain:

Admittedly, he hasn't pounced on the chances provided to him just yet. Playing just 94 minutes of Premier League football this season, the forward had disappointing displays in back-to-back losses against Aston Villa and West Ham per Squawka.

But he wasn't the only one falling short in those instances, and even though Borini's fringe status makes him an easier scapegoat to blame, he is deserving of more chances.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

After all, this is a player who at times ignited Sunderland almost single-handedly during last season's loan spell at the Stadium of Light, scoring seven goals and making 26 scoring chances in 32 Premier League appearances.

The Football Front notes that desire is coming across in his on-field approach, comparing him to a naturally gifted figure like Balotelli, who has all of the physical assets but arguably less mental resolve:

That resolve is something not to go undervalued. Coming back into Rodgers' setup, Borini will naturally take time to readjust, but he's a versatile character to have around who can still fulfil his potential considering he's still just 23 years of age.

De Marchi's comments would indicate that even having failed to feature prominently in the 2014-15 campaign, Borini has every motivation to persevere in cutting out a name for himself at Liverpool, and that often turns out to be half the battle.