Mino Raiola insists Liverpool flop Mario Balotelli will return to the Premier League
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MARIO BALOTELLI will return to the Premier League, says agent Mino Raiola.
The Italian striker left Liverpool for Nice on a free transfer after a nightmare stint on Merseyside.
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But Raiola - who represents Paul Pogba - insists it is just a matter of time before Balotelli, 26, will be back in the Premier League.
Speaking to the , Raiola said: “Italy is unlivable for him because of the attention he gets.
“If he proves he can become stable at Nice and score goals then imagine how attractive he would be to a Premier League manager next summer as a free agent.
“France needs him, like they needed Zlatan (Ibrahimovic). He is good for the league but he will absolutely return to the Premier League.
“What would a real manager rather do? Gamble £100m on a striker or take Balotelli? Because no one can tell me he is not a world-class talent.”
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Balotelli originally moved to the Premier League when he joined Manchester City back in 2013.
And Raoila admits he should have never let his client leave the Etihad.
Raiola added. “I should not have given him his way when he asked to leave City. It is the one big mistake I made.
“Mario was unhappy and I should have said, ‘You’re feeling ****? You don’t like your job? Tough, grow up, get on with it.’ I needed to be cruel to be kind, but I was too nice.
“Mario’s flaw was that he was looking for love. He needed to be egocentric. He needed to eat, sleep, and football, no one else.
“Football needs to be his priority, not a fiancee, not even a wife. To be a top athlete, you make the sacrifice and after 11 or 12 years you redress the balance then lead the life you want.
“Pavel Nedved, who was one of my first players, had that focus to be a success and he was a model family man. Mario didn’t have that focus, then he got a reputation and if you have a reputation you don’t have credibility. That makes it more difficult.”