Arsenal legend Ian Wright feels Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini needs to give Mario Balotelli a shake after his red card at Liverpool.

Wright explained in his column for The Sun: "Everyone knows how brilliant he can be, and there is a place for mavericks in the great sides.

"The obvious example is Eric Cantona at United, although the big difference was that for all his brilliance, he knew the important thing was the team, not the individual.

"With Eric, the pros massively outweighed the cons, and that's a balance Balotelli has got to put right with City.

"Come the end of the season, they will be playing a lot of high pressure, intense games, and they will need everyone together, pulling in the same direction.

"You can't afford to have someone out on a limb, and that's why Mancini or whoever needs to tell Balotelli 'you're young, you can be part of something great here, but you have to stay focused.' I'm not saying Balotelli will cost City the title, but he could have cost them dear at Anfield and he won't do the cause much good if he's banned and unavailable for the business end of it."