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Jamie Carragher: 'Mario Balotelli will not be at Liverpool next season'

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher criticises the club for buying misfiring Mario Balotelli, and predicts that the Italian will be gone this time next year.

Jamie Carragher has criticised Liverpool's purchase of Mario Balotelli and does not believe that the misfiring striker will still be at Anfield next season.

The Italy international has struck just once in the 10 games that he has played for the Reds since securing a £16m move to Merseyside from AC Milan in August.

"I can't change the way I feel about Balotelli, and that is nothing to do with what he's done in a Liverpool shirt," he told Sky Sports News.

"It's what he's done at Manchester City and AC Milan. Do I think he's going to be here long-term? No, I'd be surprised to see him here next season if I'm being honest."

Balotelli's transfer fee was widely considered a bargain given the modern climate, but Jamie Redknapp claims that the club should have been suspicious of the price tag from the start.

"There's a reason when you go to the supermarket and something is half price," the ex-Liverpool midfielder added.

"Why on earth they went for him I'll never know. They should've just left him alone. The fact that they went and got him, it just doesn't make any sense to me."

The 24-year-old was substituted at half time in Wednesday night's 3-0 home defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Upon entering the tunnel at the interval the Italian also appeared to swap shirts with Pepe, an incident that manager Brendan Rodgers condemned after the game.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers gives the thumbs up during the Premier League match against Norwich on April 20, 2014
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


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