New Italy manager Giampiero Ventura has accused Liverpool of abandoning Mario Balotelli.
The controversial striker, who spent last season on loan at AC Milan, is expected to be sold by the Reds despite reportedly impressing in pre-season training.
Balotelli needs to be playing regularly at club level if he is to stand a
chance of forcing his way back into the Italy squad, and Ventura has expressed sympathy with the 25-year-old.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Ventura said: “He’s exactly the same as everyone else.
“He has to A) play and B) be professional. He’s talked about a lot, from the point of view of character he may leave something to be desired.
“When you consider the fact he didn’t play at Milan, that Liverpool have abandoned him, it’s clear that he’s at a crossroads.
“Whenever Balotelli has shown that he wants to be a footballer, he has shown absolute quality. There’s no prejudice, but it comes down to what happens on the pitch.”
Balotelli struggled to make much of an impact after joining Liverpool in 2014 and he didn’t fare much better while on loan at Milan, as demonstrated by the fact that he scored just one goal for his temporary side.
Liverpool have several strikers in their squad, with manager Jurgen Klopp able to call upon the likes of Divock Origi, Daniel Sturridge an Danny Ings, while Roberto Firmino can also be deployed up front if required, leaving no room for Balotelli.
Klopp has made several alterations to his squad ahead of next season, with Sadio Mane, Loris Karius, Joel Matip and Marko Grujic all joining, while Martin Skrtel and Jordon Ibe have been amongst those to depart.
There are expected to be further arrivals at Anfield in the coming days, with the Reds closing in on deals for Ragnar Klavan and Georginio Wijnaldum.
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