Sunderland's Tyne-Wear derby hero Fabio Borini has revealed that he has signed for the club on loan in a bid to resurrect his Liverpool career.
The Italian striker has joined the Black Cats from the Reds on a deal until the end of the season, and scored his first goal for them in the 2-1 victory over their fierce rivals Newcastle United on Sunday.
However, Borini has hinted that he took the move to the Stadium of Light to get the first-team opportunities which will help him impress his parent club, rather than play his way to a permanent contract.
He told Italian radio station Rete Sport: "I remain a Liverpool player. I'm on loan because there wasn't space for me and, after a year of injuries, I needed to get my confidence back, to play some games.
"But my roots are still there. There has been a squad revolution there, but the worst thing for me was getting injured when I was actually playing at the start of last season."
Borini, 22, made a £10m switch from Roma to Anfield last summer, but has only scored one Premier League goal for Liverpool since - also against Newcastle.
Joe Fish
