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Brendan Rodgers said the role of Mario Balotelli at Liverpool is other than the one he had Luis Suarez, the two footballers being different.

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Mario Balotelli’s coming to Liverpool this summer is seen as a replacement for Luis Suarez, the player who went to Barcelona for 80 million euros. The Uruguayan striker scored 31 goals last season in the Premier League for the Reds, the top scorer of the competition.

But Brendan Rodgers said that Balotelli has other duties than Suarez, the two being different players.

“There is no comparison between the two as players. Luis was brilliant for me in his time here and developed to become a player who consistently delivered in terms of scoring and creating,” Liverpool boss told reporters.

“Mario is different. He’s got a lot of experience for 24, he has come here as an established international.

“Suarez elevated himself, that was clear. He wasn’t world class when he came in but when he left to go to Barcelona he had put himself in that bracket.

“He did that because of his consistency in scoring goals and keeping his performance level high.

“World class is about being at the highest level consistently, being at that level in your game consistently. That’s what takes you there,” he added.

“I think Mario is potentially world class. You can’t compare Suarez and him, but Mario is coming in as an international striker and he’s a talent, no doubt.”