Liverpool defender Kolo Toure hits out at former club Manchester City and claims they'll be 'kicking themselves' for letting him go

Toure's contract expired in the summer with Liverpool snapping him up on a free transfer where he has become a key figure of their defence

Kolo Toure has claimed Manchester City will be kicking themselves for letting him leave on a free after he joined Liverpool in the summer (GETTY IMAGES)

Liverpool defender Kolo Toure has hit out at his former club after he claimed they would be “kicking themselves” for allowing the Ivory Coast international to leave the club for nothing.

Toure was not offered a new contract by the club, and left on a free in the summer with Liverpool offering him another crack at the Premier League having spent seven years with Arsenal. He headed to the Etihad in 2009 after then-manager Mark Hughes made a £14m offer for his services as well as naming him the club captain upon his arrival.

However, Toure soon fell out of favour under Roberto Mancini and made just 10 starts in the Premier League as well as five substitute appearances last season. With Vincent Kompany, Matija Nastasic and Joleon Lescott ahead of him in terms of selection, Toure was allowed to leave for free, but has forced his way into Brendan Rodgers’ first-team plans after impressing in pre-season.

Now, the 32-year-old believes he is a better player than those he was competing with at City, and he hasn’t held back in claiming they made a mistake in letting him leave.

"I was better than certain players at Manchester City but I was left on the bench," Toure said in an interview with The Sun.

"Before I left the club, I told the people in charge that they would regret letting me go. People said I was finished and that I could never get back to my former level.

"But now I am at Liverpool - and I am sure that City must be kicking themselves when they see how I am performing."

Toure has also likened his situation to the one his brother Yaya faced during his exit from Barcelona, after City paid £22m to bring the midfielder in and join his elder brother at the club.

"I have had a similar experience to Yaya," he explained. "Managers come to clubs bringing players with them and they want to pick them at all costs - whether they are any good or not.

"Yaya was much better than Sergio Busquets at Barcelona. But he was behind him in the pecking order and he found that hard to accept.

"I advised him to come to Manchester City while I was still there.

"He listened to his big brother's advice - and now he is the big boss on the field for them."

Kolo and Yaya Toure spent three years together at Manchester City (GETTY IMAGES)

Toure has made 11 appearances for the Reds since his summer move, which includes eight starts in the Premier League, but he is yet to come up against his brother with the first clash between Liverpool and Manchester City on Boxing Day.

The two have never faced off against each other during their careers, and the experience could be a strange one for the brothers who had played for the same club and country for the last three years.