Brendan Rodgers has played down fears that Fabio Borini's proposed move to Sunderland is in danger after seeing his striker suffer a shoulder injury.

The 23-year-old was withdrawn after just 12 minutes in Liverpool's 1-0 friendly defeat against Roma, and it was initially feared that he had dislocated his shoulder.

Borini has been the subject of a £14m bid from fellow Premier League side Sunderland following an impressive loan spell at the Stadium of Light last season.

"It's probably not as bad as first thought," Rodgers is quoted as saying by the Daily Star. "He's had problems in the past with his shoulders but he has only bruised it.

"He will miss a few days and won't train now for the remainder of our stay in Boston but it will only be a matter of days before he's back training and playing again."

Of Borini's potential move to the Black Cats, Rodgers added: "Regards to his future, we will see. He's still a Liverpool player. We've obviously had a substantial bid from another Premier League club but at this moment in time it's something he's thinking about with his representatives. In the meantime he's training hard to get fit for Liverpool."

The former Roma loanee joined Liverpool in 2012, but has failed to hold down a starting spot at Anfield.