Brendan Rodgers: 'I just couldn't connect' with Balotelli

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has opened up about his challenging time working with Mario Balotelli, following the striker's assertion that the coach had poor rapport with his players at Liverpool.

"I just couldn't really connect with Mario. He was one that came in very late in the window for us. We had lost Luis (Suarez) and it was a gamble taken from a club perspective," Rodgers told talkSPORT. "It was one where, he’s a big talent, and we thought, well, can he come in and develop - he’s got all the tools.

"In all fairness, I just found it very difficult to connect with Mario. On the field, he tried his best. It certainly wasn't something that worked out as everyone would have liked."

Rodgers was responding to Balotelli's remarks in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport in which he said the coach was "disastrous when it came to his relationship with his players."

"I've got nothing against him," Balotelli said, as reported by ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell. "A situation had been created at Liverpool and maybe he should have had more patience with me."

The 26-year-old made 16 Premier League appearances for Liverpool under Rodgers, but only scored one goal after costing the club around £16 million (€20 million).

Although they may not have been on the same page, the Northern Irishman clearly saw something special when he worked with Balotelli on the Melwood training pitches.

"If he could ever just match that intensity with his talent, then he would no doubt be one of the best players in the world," Rodgers said.

And it seems that the Italian finally decided to listen to his ex-boss.

Since joining French side Nice, Balotelli has proven he still knows how to find the old onion bag.

He has six goals in six games, as Nice sits atop Ligue 1 with 29 points after 12 games.