Former Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert says training with Mario Balotelli was an experience.

Lambert has now opened up on his struggles back on Merseyside, including how former Manchester City striker Balotelli used to score own goals in training if things weren't going his way.

Speaking on the Straight From the Off podcast, Lambert said: "He (Balotelli) was a good lad, childish but infectious. But as soon as he stepped on the training pitch he became a different person.

"I've never seen anything like it, to be honest. I was at the pinnacle of my time as a professional, so to come across him was just…

"At first, he gave everything when he played. But in training, I could tell he wasn't giving his all. He was answering Brendan back and my head went with that.

"The fact that he was playing in front of me didn't bother me at first, I thought 'I'll get myself in' but just seeing the way he was in training, and then he was playing, it did affect me a little bit.

"My head went with him in training and I had to go in and say to Brendan 'don't put me on his team again'. I think Stevie had said the same.

"His head would just go. If it wasn't going his way, he would just ruin the session basically. He'd kick the ball away, score an own goal.

"I was speaking to Joe Hart and the lads at England and they were like 'he was like that at City'. I'd ask them 'how did he get away with it?'. They just shook their heads."