Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway says Mario Balotelli must become a better team player at Manchester City.

Ollie wrote in the Sunday Mirror: "They say a player like Mario Balotelli is blessed with talent - but sometimes it can actually be a curse.

"I don't know the lad, and I've not worked with him.

"But I think any manager will understand what Roberto Mancini is going through in trying to bring the best out of a footballer who could be one of the greatest in the world.

"It's a strange thing how, with the ­biggest ability, so often come huge problems.

"Some of these lads get you end product. That gets you wins and Mancini is in the ­business of winning football matches. If he doesn't win, he'll lose his job.

"The big question for a manager is: How long will it be before the patience of his team-mates runs out?

"That's the ­gauntlet you are running.

"Every time he does something silly, he should have learned. And the more he doesn't learn, the more the clock is ticking for him to be burned out."