Agent: Borini needs games, wants a World Cup place

LIVERPOOL’S Fabio Borini might start pushing for a move back to Italy in the New Year, according to reports.

Borini’s agent, Marco De Marchi, says that the player, currently on loan at Sunderland, needs to start getting some playing time with a World Cup looming next summer. De Marchi claims: “I can say that if Fabio’s situation doesn’t change in the next month, we could evaluate a return to Italy so that he can find the consistency he needs ahead of the World Cup. Borini would absolutely love to take part in that tournament. He dreams of Brazil in 2014 and needs games.”

Borini against FC GomelThat might be a little ambitious but the reason the player went out on loan was because Brendan Rodgers hoped it would help the 22-year-old in his development by giving him more time on the pitch than he could expect for Liverpool this season. It hasn’t quite worked out that way.

“He’s only had a chance at Sunderland after the arrival of Gus Poyet, but it is still insufficient,” says De Marchi.

Borini has been mainly used, if used at all, as a substitute at Sunderland but will go down in local folklore for his winning goal in the North East derby.

It looked like the goal might get him more opportunities to play and he started Sunderland’s next game, only to be sacrificed at half-time by Poyet who’d just seen two of his players sent off during first-half stoppage time in the defeat at Hull. He only got three minutes as a late sub in the next league game – the win against Manchester City – and although he got a little longer at the weekend, 20 minutes in the defeat at Stoke, it’s fair to say the player would have expected more playing time than he’s had.

De Marchi says Liverpool have no plans to sell the player so any move back to Italy would not be permanent: “Liverpool will not let go of the player definitively, so it would still be a loan spell. He is a modern striker, has an eye for goal and is appreciated by many in Italy and beyond.

“Liverpool own him and in the summer didn’t want him to leave. I would like a meeting with Liverpool in January.”

De Marchi even tried to bring Inter into the equation as a possible destination for the striker: “Does Walter Mazzarri appreciate him?” he asked. “I was in the Inter headquarters a few days ago, but there was no formal request.”

Sunderland travel to Villa Park on Sunday and remain bottom of the table.