Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admitted Mario Balotelli is toiling hard but could not guarantee that the player had a long-term future at the club.
The 24-year old Italian striker has struggled early in his Reds career after joining from AC Milan for £16million in the summer which has prompted fans to question his commitment to the cause.
In the wake of Wednesday night's 3-0 Champions League loss to Real Madrid, in which Balotelli was hooked at half-time, Rodgers told Sky Sports News HQ that the former Manchester City and Inter Milan forward was certainly trying hard but could not assure that he would be at Anfield for the foreseeable future.
"I think there'll be that (speculation) - whether it's deserved or not, it's part of the game and you have to accept that," he said.
"The boy's genuinely trying very, very hard. Longer-term we'll see where that works out for him, but certainly he is working hard on the training field to improve his opportunities to play and score goals.
"As long as he's doing his best that is all I can ask as a manager. Whether that best is going to be good enough longer-term remains to be seen, but that's the same for every player.
"I think he's like every other player: he wants to score and obviously at this moment he's not. Hard work will improve your confidence, and when you're confident you have more success. It's as simple as that."
Since arriving on Merseyside, Balotelli has scored just one goal in 10 appearances in all competitions.
