AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi: 'Mario Balotelli is a rotten apple'

AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has claimed that he is glad to have sold "rotten apple" Mario Balotelli to Liverpool.

The controversial striker joined the Reds for £16m in August following a disappointing 18-month spell at the San Siro.

Berlusconi has now revealed that he did not want Balotelli at Milan in the first place and that he is pleased to have seen the back of the 24-year-old.

"I remember he was bought against my advice," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "The base is there [in the rest of the squad] and we no longer have a rotten apple in the dressing room."

Balotelli has scored one goal in eight games for Liverpool so far this season.