Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes Mario Balotelli has some way to go before he can be considered in the same class as Luis Suarez.
Italy international Balotelli joined the club in the summer from AC Milan to replace Suarez, who moved to Barcelona.
The 24-year-old has scored once in five appearances for a Liverpool side who have struggled to replicate their form from last season.
And asked if Balotelli was the right man to replace the Uruguayan who netted 31 times last season, Rodgers said "We shall see.
"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.
"Mario is different. He's got a lot of experience for 24, he has come here as an established international."
And for Rodgers, consistency is the key for Balotelli if he is to be as big a player for the Reds as Suarez was.
"Suarez elevated himself, that was clear," he told national newspapers.
"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.
"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."
Source: PA
