Steven Gerrard describes Mario Balotelli as 'spectacular waste of talent'

Steven Gerrard didn't pull any punches when it came to sharing his thoughts on former teammate Mario Balotelli and Liverpool's ill-fated decision to sign the Italian striker.

In his new book "My Story," the former Liverpool captain revealed that he was suspicious of Brendan Rodgers' decision to sign the beleaguered striker, despite the manager's confession that Balotelli was far from the team's first option after missing out on a handful of transfer targets.

"He said, 'You know we've missed out on a couple of signings. I'm basically left with no option but to have a bit of a gamble,' Gerrard said, courtesy of excerpts published in the Daily Mail.

"Brendan paused before he spoke again: 'The gamble is Mario Balotelli.' My instant reaction was, 'Uh-oh.' I'd never met Balotelli but I'd heard all the stories about the indoor fireworks and Jose Mourinho describing him as an 'unmanageable' player.

"I could see that, in the right mood, he was a quality footballer but the rest of his career seemed like a spectacular waste of talent. That was my opinion of Balotelli."

Gerrard explained that he attempted to give Balotelli the benefit of the doubt in the beginning, but quickly realised the forward fit Mourinho's description.

"We got on fine. I still tried to help him and I kept looking for chances to praise him but I could see why Mourinho had been right when he said Balotelli is unmanageable," he said.

"He is very talented with the potential to be world class, but he'll never get there because of his mentality and the people around him. Balotelli's always late, he always wants attention."