Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has declared that striker Mario Balotelli has the potential to become world class at the club.

The Reds boss said that Luis Suarez developed into one of the best forwards in the world at Anfield, and tipped the Italian to do the same.

"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," The Mirror quotes Rodgers as saying.

"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."

Balotelli joined Liverpool from AC Milan during the summer transfer window for £16m, a deal that was bankrolled by Suarez's transfer to Barcelona.