City wanted rid of Dzeko rather than Balotelli

I HEAR that Man City really wanted to unload the big lumbering Edin Dzeko rather than Mario - but that Mario's wish to join Milan scuppered those plans.

Dzeko had been lined up for a move to Arsenal or Juventus for the same sort of fee that Milan bought Mario.

But Mario's insistence that he wanted to move back to Milan ended those hopes.

I believe that Mario is a much better player than Dzeko - but whether Mario ever reaches his potential is very much up in the air.

He is a troubled man-child, a much more likeable guy than you would imagine from the rather lurid headlines that follow him around.

As a child, he was insecure and unsure of his identity.

He is still insecure and immature. But if he does concentrate on his football he has the potential to be the best No 9 in the world - and that is why City would rather have kept him than Dzeko.