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Brendan Rodgers says there are no plans to send striker Fabio Borini out on loan.

The Italian forward has been on the bench in the opening two games of the season and will be included in the squad for tonight’s Capital One Cup tie against Notts County at Anfield.

Borini endured a hard first season at Liverpool as two serious injuries limited him to just 20 appearances in all competitions.

But the 22-year-old returned from a dislocated shoulder at the end of April to score in the 6-0 drubbing of Newcastle United.

The former Chelsea and Swansea City player has remained injury free over the summer and bagged a double strike in Liverpool Under-21s’ 4-2 win over their Manchester United counterparts last week.

Rodgers insists Borini – who cost the club over £10m last summer – must be given time to bed in at Liverpool and says he was always bought with an eye on the future.

“Borini is in the squad for tonight, he’s working tirelessly,” said Rodgers.

“He has not got the goals over the pre-season that his work deserved.

“You can still see his hunger, he is working hard to get into the team and make an impact.

“Any players coming here needs time to adapt.

“No doubt he had a disruptive season last term with his injuries.

“I took him as a young player on loan to Swansea and was the difference to us getting promoted.

“He was a threat so we brought him here not just for the now but for the future as well.

“We have a very good young player but we just can’t expect too much from him. It will take time but I’m sure he will come good.”

And on the possibility of sending Borini out on loan, Rodgers said: “Not at this moment in time.

“There would be a queue of clubs looking for him if he was available.

“We want to have a strong group all season for us. We want to make sure there is competition in the group.

“If you have a goalscorer it is always good to have them. He has not expressed a desire for a loan move, he is very settled here. He is fighting to improve and doing extra after training.

“Every player wants to play games but he is working hard and not dissatisfied. He is eager to prove he can get goals.”