Brendan Rodgers says Mario Balotelli is in contention to lead Liverpool’s attack against Manchester United on Sunday after stepping up his recovery from a groin injury.
Balotelli, who has not scored in the league since his £16m transfer from AC Milan in August, last played in Liverpool’s 2-1 home defeat to Chelsea on November 8.
Rodgers has been pleased with how the Italian has looked in training this week and hopes to have him available against United.
“He (Balotelli) has only just come back into training so it is something we will assess,” Rodgers said. “We have still got a bit of time so we will see what his fitness is like.
“He has been out for a little while now but in the last couple of days he has looked good in training. We will give him every chance to see if he can come into the squad.”
Rodgers also revealed Adam Lallana is close to 100 per cent after news emerged that the midfielder sustained two cracked ribs in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Leicester City on December 2.
Lallana started against Sunderland on Saturday after taking a pain-killing injection and Rodgers confirmed the 26-year-old is now back to full strength.
“He (Lallana) took a nasty injury in the game against Leicester and I didn’t mention it because I wanted to protect the player and make sure he wasn’t targeted in games,” Rodgers said.
“But he looks fully up to speed. He has had some work done since he has been here and watching him in training, he’s been fine.
“He has obviously been available but not fully fit. He looks much, much better now.”
Liverpool inflicted a 3-0 drubbing on their fierce rivals in this fixture last season in what Wayne Rooney called “one of the worst days I've ever had in football”.
Rodgers is hoping his players can replicate that performance on Sunday and get themselves back in the hunt for a coveted Champions League spot.
“It is a very important game, but it always it,” Rodgers said. “It is a massive game in the fixture list in this country and for various reasons it is a game that we want to do well in.
“We had an outstanding performance and result last season and if we can replicate that we would be very happy.”
Watch Manchester United v Liverpool live on Sky Sports 1 at 1.30pm on Sunday.
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