Mario Balotelli claims Jurgen Klopp only spoke to him 'once' at Liverpool

He also described his time at AC Milan as confusing

Balotelli has scored five in three league games this season (Getty Images)

Mario Balotelli has hit out at former manager Jurgen Klopp, claiming the Liverpool boss only ever spoke to him ‘once’.

The 26-year-old ended his Merseyside nightmare this summer by moving to Ligue 1 side Nice, where he seems to have finally settled, scoring six goals in his first five games.

He did however, get sent off in his last appearance for the French side, a second yellow for removing his shirt when scoring, although the referee has since admitted his mistake.

Balotelli joined the Reds as a Brendan Rodgers signing in 2014, where he scored only once in 16 appearances before re-joining AC Milan on loan last season.

He returned to Anfield when his loan spell ended in the summer but says new manager Klopp barely spoke to him.

"Klopp doesn't know me, I spoke to him once, he told me to go somewhere else, work hard and then return," Balotelli told Sky Italia.

"So I said goodbye to them, and that we wouldn't be seeing each other again."

Balotelli also spoke about why he was never able to settle and produce his best form for the Reds or AC Milan and described his time at the Serie A club as confusing.

However, after a prolific start to life in Ligue 1, the Italian claims he is finally feeling settled and ready to focus on his football.

"It wasn't anyone's fault. They weren't ideal environments for me.

"I didn't make mistakes in terms of my game or my behaviour, but I did get injured and that's not something I can control.

"The problem there [Milan] is the administration," Balotelli said. "There's only one person who is phenomenal, and that's [club CEO, Adriano] Galliani. All the rest is just... confusion.

"At the start, I chose Nice for the climate, I wanted to be in a relaxing but beautiful place, where it's difficult to get out the wrong side of the bed. The other reason I chose Nice is because there's a decent group of young players. We're all about the same age."