Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he has taken a huge risk in signing striker Mario Balotelli, and that he needs the forward to prove to him that he was worth the gamble in the near future, as reported by the Daily Express.

The former AC Milan forward has been disappointing since joining the Anfield club, and has only scored one goal, which came against Ludogorets in the Champions League.

There has also been criticism of his work ethic, with many comparing him unfavourably to former Reds striker Luis Suarez, who was famed for his incredible stamina and effort while up front.

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The Italy international was brought into the club for £16 million, with many doubting his ability to fit into Rodgers’s preferred system.

The Liverpool boss has now admitted that he took a calculated risk with the player, and believes he needs to offer a greater contribution to the side going forward.

He said: “I always said it was about availability and affordability of players.

“Mario was the one right at the very end who was available for that.

“I said when he came in that it was a calculated risk and it’s something I have to work on to try to make it work for the team.

“Any striker, not just him, is judged on his goals and the number of assists you make. At this moment he has not hit the numbers he will have wanted.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has criticised Mario Balotelli’s contribution to the Anfield club since moving to them from AC Milan in the summer, blasting the Italian international for not sacrificing himself for his new team, as reported by the Daily Mail.

The former Liverpool defender has been less than impressed by the £16 million summer addition, and wrote as much in his column for the newspaper.

In fact, he suggested that he has never been a particularly big fan of the forward, who has scored only once for his new side since moving from his boyhood side.

Carragher said: “I think we need to see a lot more. I can’t hide the way I feel about him.

“When he was at [Manchester] City I wasn’t a fan. He’s got one goal.

“He’s away in Europe tonight and playing as a lone striker. You have got to sacrifice yourself for the team tonight – play for the team and work hard.

“If there’s one word that I’d never use to sum Balotelli up is sacrifice.”

Balotelli was brought in, in part, to replace the outgoing Luis Suarez, who joined Barcelona for £75 million shortly after the World Cup, despite having been banned for all footballing activity.

However, he has been somewhat hamstrung by the injury to his intended strike partner Daniel Sturridge, with the duo looking fairly good in the one game they have played together, against Spurs.