Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has made an astonishing revelation by stating that Mario Balotelli ruled himself out of the clash against Arsenal. Balotelli was left out of the 18-man Liverpool squad which travelled to North London to square off against Arsenal on Saturday and his absence certainly surprised a few.

Now manager Rodgers has gone on to explain why the Italian international was missing by stating that the striker decided to rule himself out of the clash due to a slight knock to his knee.

"He trained on Friday afternoon with the team and he took a slight knock to his knee and he deemed himself not able to travel." said Rodgers.

"I'm not a medic. He felt it was too sore to travel. The medical staff have looked at it. It was just something that he himself didn't feel comfortable enough to travel."

Balotelli has been a huge flop since making a move to Liverpool from AC Milan over the summer and his latest perceived lack of commitment could mean that the striker will be heading for an exit from Anfield.