Former Anfield hero defends struggling striker.
Ex-Liverpool striker Michael Owen has jumped to the defence of beleaguered striker Mario Balotelli by saying the the Italian was not the player the club needed and it is not his fault that he has been singled out, the Daily Mirror reports.
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The poacher-turned-pundit has watched his old side struggle to recapture the form of a year ago, shorn of their star, and now with a new name in the spotlight and under the microscope.
But despite a crucial late goal for his side against Liverpool on Tuesday night he is still very much struggling to make a mark for himself at Anfield and will be looking to get amongst the goals again with this weekend’s trip to the northeast.
“I thought when they first signed him that he didn’t look like the long-term answer,” Owen said.
“Brendan Rodgers clearly felt like £16m was a risk worth taking, but it hasn’t worked out so far.”
But despite his failure to recapture the form of his Man City days, Owen went as far as saying that he still isn’t the club’s most disappointing signing of the summer.
“I did feel sorry for him in the aftermath of the Real Madrid game,” he added. “It’s not all his fault and he has been singled out.
“He’s by no means the worst of Liverpool’s summer signings.”
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