Mino Raiola, the super-agent that represents Mario Balotelli, has come out in support of the troubled striker, claiming that a reason for his misfortune is that he is being asked by manager Brendan Rodgers to do things that he has never done before.
Balotelli struggled to shine after making a surprise £16million pound move from AC Milan last summer, with Rodgers publicly slamming the striker, stating that he 'does not work hard enough'. Despite this, the Italian has showed an upturn in recent weeks, scoring winners against Besiktas and Tottenham aswell as winning and taking the free-kick which led to Adam Lallana's winning goal in their 2-1 FA Cup victory over Crystal Palace.
He still hasn't escaped criticism from his manager, with Rodgers saying that Balotelli didn't work hard enough after scoring the winner against Besiktas. Despite this, Raiola does think that the Ulsterman is having a good effect on Mario.
"Right now, I think Mario makes a very interesting development in his career. He found a coach [Rodgers] who asks him things that had never been requested of him until now, including running with the ball. This allows him to grow as a person and as a football player. He will come out even stronger. He is proud of the team [Liverpool] and that is the most important thing."
Balotelli hasn't been sent off for Liverpool, despite a poor discplinary record elsewhere, however he has been suspended, after the FA charged him for an Instagram post, which had racial connotations. He appeared to have landed himself in trouble earlier in the week, for posting an Instagram photo captioned, "someone doesn't like me but differently of what they say I am a team player and I'm so proud of my team." It could be suggested that this is aimed at Rodgers, however some have argued that it could be a grammar error with Balotelli meaning to say 'some people don't like me'.