Having committed to Salford, Borini then began to delve into the history of the club and their journey from the Northern Premier League First Division North to League Two via four promotions in five seasons.
He would also know the club has been stuck in League Two since 2019 and has recently had a change of ownership which means that of the famous Manchester United group of players, only David Beckham and Gary Neville still have a financial investment.
Not that the link has been severed – Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were both present as Borini and his team-mates began their latest training session.
Maybe unsurprisingly given his huge number of personal commitments, Neville is the only one of Salford’s famous historical ownership group he has not met.
“It is important for players to understand and get to know the history of their clubs,” said Borini.
“You need to be able to understand the heart and soul of this area before you become a player because I feel you are expected to put that on to the field.”
In Borini’s words, Salford are “not like any League Two club”. He says the infrastructure and the footballing background of the most visual backers make it feel bigger.
Nevertheless, it is a world away from the likes of AC Milan, where he made 72 appearances in a two-year stint to 2020, and while he has only had a couple of cameo substitute outings so far, he knows his backstory will attract attention.
“I had a little taste already,” he said. “Target is not the right word but maybe opponents look at you in a different way.
“For me that is motivating. I reckon everyone wanted to play against Salford before I came here, because of the background, because of the football people.
“Now they have something more to look forward to, which is playing players like me.
“It is challenging for me to keep the same level and it is challenging for the team to raise our level even more because the lights are on us. To make sure the lights stay on, you have to perform and you have to get results.”
Borini plans to keep playing for two or three years and says mentally and physically the engine is still running when it comes to his fitness.
He still has aims, even if replicating Liverpool’s run to the 2015 FA Cup semi-finals, when Borini was part of the squad beaten by Aston Villa in the last four, is unlikely.
More realistic is a potential place in the third round, and the possibility of a return to Anfield or the Stadium of Light.
“It is a goal I would like to fulfil,” he said. “It would be nice to relive some experiences in those stadiums, with the warmth of the club. That sticks with you forever.”
