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Pirlo: 'Balotelli frustrates me, but he can be a top striker'
The Liverpool striker is under contract at Liverpool, but reports increasingly indicate that the Reds are looking to offload him.
'I have played with some of the best strikers,’ Pirlo told the Daily Mirror, ‘and I can tell you Mario has all the attributes to be one of the best strikers in the world.
'By now I thought that is where he would be, that is where he should be. He has no more time to waste.'
The former Inter midfielder had a bright future ahead of him when he first burst onto the scene, and rebounded from an up-and-down time at Manchester City by netting 14 Serie A goals for AC Milan in 2013/2014.
Injuries and lack of form have since hampered Super Mario’s return to England, and his second stint at AC Milan.
Pirlo goes to some extend to explain why: 'He frustrates me, but I have so much affection for Mario,
Then again, the MLS star also added that it is never too late to turn things around:
'He has played for so many big clubs, it's easy to forget he's only 25.
'He is infectious to be around. When I used to see him walk into training for Italy, he would have this big smile on his face - and I would just burst out laughing - and start wondering what is he thinking, what is he up to?
'He still has time to make it at the very top. [But] he needs to pick his next club carefully.
'I have read things about him and China. With all respect to their league, Mario should not be going there yet.'
