Mario Balotelli Enjoys Manchester Night out 24 Hours After Missing Liverpool Win

Mario Balotelli was spotted enjoying the fine dining of Manchester's San Carlo restaurant just 24 hours after missing Liverpool's win over Aston Villa through illness.

Ben Nagle of the MailOnline reported Balotelli's jaunt into the city centre with a group of friends. The Italian is known for making post-match appearances on the social scene—he was spotted in London during the "early hours" following defeat to Chelsea in November—but his latest appearance suggests he is fit enough to aid Liverpool's progress during the latter half of the season.

Balotelli has played just 34 minutes of football across all competitions since the turn of the year, per WhoScored.com. He is yet to net a Premier League goal since joining Liverpool in the summer and hasn't scored since Oct. 28, when he netted against Swansea in the Capital One Cup.

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Brendan Rodgers has shown tactical nous to change Liverpool's shape in recent weeks. His side has only lost one of its last 14 matches—largely without Balotelli—who is no longer a regular starter.

Both Raheem Sterling and Fabio Borini have posted quality performances as the central forward in Rodgers' 3-4-3 formation, a setup that allows creative midfield players such as Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho to influence with runners moving into space ahead of them.

Rodgers recently suggested Balotelli has made his intentions clear, despite speculation linking him with a move away. According to Nagle, Rodgers said:

"

[Balotelli] does want to stay. I think that is the case with him. He does care about doing well for Liverpool and wants to do well, but it just hasn't gone as he would have wanted. He's a good guy. He's not scored the goals he would have wanted, but we are determined to help him find a solution.

"

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Squawka recently provided a breakdown of the player's problems:

Daniel Sturridge's impending return could spell further woe for Balotelli. It's likely Rodgers will deploy a front three of Sturridge, Sterling and Coutinho when all are fit, limiting the 24-year-old Balotelli to bit-part performances in a season that needs to yield Champions League football for the Reds.

Right now, the striker continues to make more headlines for appearing out than he does notching goals. He is entitled to enjoy time off, but he risks irking Liverpool fans if he continues to be spotted in public after missing the weekend's play.

Balotelli possesses the quality to win matches. Even so, he needs to fully focus on finding a consistent run of goalscoring form if his £16 million transfer is to be justified.