Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers responds to Mario Balotelli’s claims that their relationship was a ‘disaster’ at Liverpool

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Balotelli’s miserable spell at Liverpool certainly wasn’t helped by his fractured relationship with Rodgers.

Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted to talkSPORT that he struggled to connect with Mario Balotelli during the Italian’s brief and universally unsuccessful stint at Anfield.

The former Inter Milan youngster certainly had large shoes to fill on Merseyside, arriving in the summer of 2014 to replace departed talisman Luis Suarez just months after the Uruguayan had almost inspired Liverpool to a maiden Premier League crown.

However, the Balotelli experiment blew up emphatically in Rodgers’ face, the talented centre-forward finding the net once in 16 Premier League appearances.

The 26-year-old, who is now enjoying the most consistent spell of his career at the top of Ligue 1 with Nice, apportioned some of the blame squarely upon the shoulders of the current Celtic boss, describing their relationship as a ‘disaster’ in quotes reported by the Liverpool Echo.

And Rodgers has admitted that he struggled to find common ground with the gaudy forward and beleives he has been granted one last opportunity to fulfil his potential on the French Riviera after a career of false dawns and disappointment.

“He was probably absolutely spot on to be fair [when describing their relationship],” Rodgers told talkSPORT. “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.

“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 have would liked.

“He’s probably now got a final chance over in France and hopefully he can work at the talent he has, because he is a huge talent.”

Balotelli has already scored more goals in just three months in Ligue 1 than during his previous two campaigns at Liverpool and on-loan at AC Milan combined.

Rodgers, meanwhile, looks set to make up somewhat for missing out on the Premier League title in heart-breaking fashion in 2013/14, with his Celtic side already 10 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.