LONDON (AFP) - On-loan Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina has admitted that he finds it hard to envisage returning to parent club Liverpool, in an interview with a British newspaper published on Saturday.

The Spain international, 31, joined the Italian Serie A side on loan during the close season, after the English Premier League club signed Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet from Sunderland.

Now working under his former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, Reina says he does not expect to return to Anfield when his loan spell finishes.

"At the moment it's difficult to think about being a Liverpool player next year," he told the Daily Mail.

"They have a young goalkeeper in Simon Mignolet and the manager (Brendan Rodgers) prefers him to me. That's the reason why I'm here and he will be at the club next year as well.

"There's no reason to think I'll be a Liverpool player from now on, but we'll see where the future takes us. It's been a good move so far and I don't regret what happened. I would have preferred to say goodbye in a different way."

Reina said he had not been expecting to move to Serie A.

"It did come as a surprise," he said. "It was the club (Liverpool) who made the move. I was on my holidays and nobody told me anything.

"Suddenly Napoli called and said they were agreeing terms with Liverpool and Liverpool just rang me two days later and said the same. They probably had their own reasons."

Reina joined Liverpool from Villarreal in 2005 and has won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Uefa Super Cup during his time at the club.