Superagent Mino Raiola has singled out Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for criticism after the German showed Mario Balotelli the exit door at Anfield.
The outspoken Italian representative told TalkSport Klopp didn't treat his client with respect and did not help the forward regain his match fitness behind the scenes (h/t Goal):
At the end of the day, [Balotelli] was a player of Liverpool and you need to treat him with respect and [Klopp] didn't do that.
Mario asked several times to have a friendly match. You can train all you want but, at the end of the day, you need 90 minutes, you need a friendly. He never considered him for 60 days.
I'm not judging him as a trainer - I don't like him as a trainer at all - but you have to let him play.
The Italian enigma finally departed Merseyside at the end of the summer transfer window, moving to Ligue 1 to join Nice on a free transfer after two years with the Reds, as reported by BBC Sport's Phil McNulty.
It is the second time Raiola has targeted the charismatic boss in recent times, previously telling Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) Klopp was "unfair" to Balotelli:
At the end of the day the Liverpool directors admitted Klopp was unfair. I won’t judge him as a coach, even if for me he isn’t a great tactician, but I don’t think he realised we were talking about a person. Mario was exemplary, he never complained even when training alone.
It’s not enough to say Klopp was unfair: he was a piece of s--t.
Despite the agent's opinions, the striker was a complete failure from start to finish, never reproducing his best form from his halcyon days in Serie A. Balotelli became a figure of fun at Manchester City, and the football world was shocked when Liverpool purchased the controversial figure for £16 million, per BBC Sport.
The 26-year-old spent last term on loan at former club AC Milan, scoring only one goal in 20 Serie A appearances, according to WhoScored.com.
Sky Sports pundit and Reds legend, Jamie Carragher, appeared pleased to see the player leave:
In other news, former Cardiff midfielder Gary Medel has been linked with a move to Liverpool but is now on the verge of signing a new deal with Inter Milan.
According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo), the player was "tentatively linked with a move to Anfield" but now appears content to remain at the San Siro.
Balotelli was considered one of Europe's finest youngsters long ago, and winning the Premier League at City was a major feather in his cap—playing the final pass to Sergio Aguero to score the last-minute goal that secured the title.
However, the Italian remains temperamental at best, and his lack of a discernible work rate would have seen him useless under Klopp's "heavy metal" tactical style in English football.