Mario Balotelli 'not complicated' insists Brendan Rodgers as Italian striker involved in controversy for first time at Liverpool 

Brendan Rodgers has insisted that Mario Balotelli is not a ‘complicated’ player after Liverpool’s new £16million signing became embroiled in the first controversy of his Anfield career.

Merseyside Police are investigating allegations of racist abuse against Balotelli after he posted a tweet mocking Manchester United’s 5-3 defeat to Leicester City on Sunday.

Questions about the case were prohibited at Rodgers’s press conference at Anfield on Monday, but Rodgers voiced his support for the former Manchester City and AC Milan star who has scored once in four appearances for his new club.

Brendan Rodgers said he has really enjoyed working with Mario Balotelli since he arrived at Liverpool

The Italian striker jumps out of the way of Raheem Sterling's shot as Liverpool lost at West Ham 

Balotelli will always have an opportunity at Liverpool while he continues to work hard for the club 

‘Every player is different,’ said the Liverpool boss. ‘I’ve really enjoyed working with him so far. He’s a good guy, he wants to do well for the club and he’s shown he cares enough about the club to devote that time to him.

‘For me, he’s not complicated. He’s a football player who wants to do well in his life and career. If he continues to give everything and work tirelessly for the cause there will always be an opportunity here for him.

Rodgers says Balotelli has already started to gel with his teammates but admits there will be slow progress

‘It’s not just Mario it’s the whole group, a new dynamic in the group. We lost Luis (Suarez) who was a marvellous player, and had to bring in a number of players because that’s what the depth that the squad needed, we were short last year.

‘When there’s that transition there are little bumps along the way. Mario was one of a number of players we brought in and it will take time for them to gel with current players. It’s happened here already and it will happen again.’

Brendan Rodgers claimed that Balotelli is not complicted despite his controversial tweet on Sunday

Rodgers admitted that gelling new signings like Adam Lallana will take some time after Luis Suarez left

Liverpool face Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night having lost three of their opening five Premier League games for only the second time in 77 years.

The 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday was the latest blow to a club that came within a whisker of winning the title last season. Having made eight new signings in the summer, Rodgers believes it will take time for them to adjust to playing for Liverpool.

‘What people probably don’t get is the pressure of playing for such a big club,’ he added. ‘The weight of the jersey here is heavy for most players. Once you adapt to playing for Liverpool you become clearer in your thinking.

‘We don’t have too many experienced players, it’s a young group. That adjustment takes a little bit of time.

‘We’ve conceded eight goals and the majority of those could have been avoided. We started poorly at the weekend. There are no easy games at this level, you will be tested physically and mentally at this level. You have to be ready to fight and we got caught out in those first seven minutes of the game. That’s something we have to improve on, we must do better.

Rodgers bemoaned individual defensive errors that have cost Liverpool so far this season

Brendan Rodgers' side take on Middlesbrough, who won 4-0 last weekend, in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday

‘Of course it’s not all smiles, it’s not a feeling we’ve been used to. But you have to refocus and move on. You have to be able to recover quick at this level. It’s my job to ensure confidence is retained within the group.

‘It’s not a great start by any means but that we’ll improve and my team will get better in the second half of the season.

‘We want to win a trophy this season, that is still a key objective for us and this competition gives us an opportunity.

‘We’ve been here before with the club when I first came in here, a lot of new players coming in and that time it was a new manager as well. We got to where we wanted to be.’

Rodgers revealed that Jordan Henderson and Phillip Coutinho are unlikely to play, joining Glen Johnson, Joe Allen, Daniel Sturridge, Emre Can and Jon Flanagan on the sidelines.