Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has claimed that Mario Balotelli will "never" be a world-class footballer because he does "too many things wrong".
Gerrard played alongside the Italian last season, but both players are no longer on Merseyside, with the midfielder having moved to Los Angeles Galaxy, and Balotelli returning to AC Milan on loan.
In Gerrard's new book, which is being serialised by the Daily Mail, the 35-year-old revealed that he had reservations when manager Brendan Rodgers told him that he was taking a "gamble" on Balotelli because he was the club's last resort.
"There was no friction between [myself and Balotelli] - we got on fine," said Gerrard. "I still tried to help him and I kept looking for chances to praise him, but I could see [Jose] 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."
The controversial striker scored just four goals for Liverpool last season.
Danielle Joynson
