ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Thursday, February 26, 2015: Liverpool's Mario Balotelli walks past manager Brendan Rodgers as he is substituted against Besiktas JK during the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 2nd Leg match at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Mario Balotelli an ‘absolute waste of time’, according to former Liverpool star

BBC pundit and ex-Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has launched a scathing attacking on Mario Balotelli, following yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Blackburn at Anfield.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Thursday, February 26, 2015: Liverpool's Mario Balotelli walks past manager Brendan Rodgers as he is substituted against Besiktas JK during the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 2nd Leg match at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Lawrenson didn’t hold back on his feelings towards the 24-year-old, who came on for Lazar Markovic in the second-half of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final stalemate.

“Forget about Mario Balotelli. He is an absolute waste of time. He shouldn’t be anywhere near this team,” he said.

“I can see why Brendan Rodgers threw him on today as he might just create something, but 99 times out of 100 he will let you down.”

The criticism of Balotelli seems a little harsh from the former Reds hero, given the fact he actually performed better than many of his teammates and looked fairly bright when he came on.

Lawrenson has also contradicted himself somewhat, having called the £16m purchase of the Italian a “no brainer” last summer.

The Match of the Day pundit played 356 games for Liverpool between 1981 and 1988, winning five league titles, one European Cup and one FA Cup.

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