Monday 14 September 2015 16:57, UK
Steven Gerrard claims he knew Mario Balotelli's move to Liverpool was destined to fail and thinks the Italian will never fulfil his potential.
Balotelli is now on loan at AC Milan after his unsuccessful stint at Anfield which saw him score just four times in 27 appearances last season.
Gerrard - who moved to LA Galaxy at the end of the campaign - admits he had reservations about the move to bring him to Merseyside from the club he has since returned to.
Mario Balotelli hit the post as AC Milan lost 1-0 to Inter in Serie A on Sunday...
Gerrard, speaking in the serialisation of his book 'My Story' in the Daily Mail, said: "In my last season, Brendan Rodgers came to me at Melwood one day in mid-August.
"He said: 'You know we've missed out on a couple of signings. I'm basically left with no option to have a bit of a gamble.'
"Brendan paused before he spoke again: 'The gamble is Mario Balotelli.' My instant reaction was: 'Uh-oh.'
"I'd never met Balotelli but I'd heard all the stories about the indoor fireworks and Jose Mourinho describing him as an 'unmanageable' player.
"I could see that, in the right mood, he was a quality footballer but the rest of his career seemed like a spectacular waste of talent. That was my opinion of Balotelli.
"We got on fine. I still tried to help him and I kept looking for chances to praise him but I could see why Mourinho had been right when he said Balotelli is unmanageable.
"He is very talented with the potential to be world class, but he'll never get there because of his mentality and the people around him. Balotelli's always late, he always wants attention.
"He says the wrong things on social media. For me, he doesn't work hard enough on a daily basis. You're always fighting a losing battle with Balotelli. He does too many things wrong."
