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Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has described Mario Balotelli as a "spectacular waste of talent".
The controversial Italian striker spent the 2014/15 season at Liverpool after moving from AC Milan for £16m. After scoring just four goals in total last term for the Reds he has been shipped back to AC Milan on loan for this season.
Gerrard, who now plays for LA Galaxy in the MLS after leaving Anfield after 17 season with the club, was speaking in the serialisation of his book 'My Story' in the Daily Mail.
"In my last season, Brendan Rodgers came to me at Melwood one day in mid-August," he wrote.
"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.'
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"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."
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