Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli appears to be on his way out of Anfield, as a once promising career continues to spiral. Nonetheless, one team-mate – or former team-mate – admits he still highly rates the Italian forward.
That man is none other than Marco Verratti, a man who used to play alongside Super Mario before the former AC Milan forward fall from grace with the national side.
The PSG midfielder, who has shared a dressing room with the likes Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, said in a pre-match press conference (as per Yahoo! Sports):
"Balotelli is one of the greatest strikers I have ever played alongside. He has great physical attributes and rarely misses when in front of goal.
"His problem so far has been his mindset. I hope [a move to Nice] is his chance to change things. He's a wonderful guy. In football we should think of the collective, not the individual. He is still young, he has plenty of time to change."
With only 7 goals to his name in his last 51 games over the last two seasons, Balotelli found himself back in the English Premier League after AC Milan opted against making the 26-year-old’s loan move a permanent deal.
Despite his return, the Italian finds himself even further away from Liverpool’s starting eleven than when he left. Jurgen Klopp’s crew, who are preparing for an exciting Saturday clash with Tottenham, are looking to offload Mario.
Nice are tipped to be in for the Italian, but it remains unclear whether the Ligue 1 outfit can afford Balotelli. They have until August 31st (deadline day) to land the Azzurri forward.
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