Christian Poulsen has Warned Of The Impact That Mario Balotelli Can Have With Manchester City.

Christian Poulsen has cautioned his Liverpool team-mates about the quality that Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli possesses.

The Denmark international could make his Premier League debut agaibst Balotelli's side following his transfer to Liverpool from Juventus in a deal worth £4.5 million.

Ahead of the Reds' match-up against City on Monday, Poulsen acknowledged that Balotelli, who arrived from Inter Milan in a £24 million move last week, can be a fantastic player for the Eastlands club if Roberto Mancini can control the 20-year-old.

“Balotelli is a huge talent and he can develop into a really great player if he does the right things,” Poulsen told The Mirror.

“I don’t know him personally because I have only played against him a few times, but he is a strong and very special young player.

“He had some problems at Inter Milan that he will have to learn to overcome. I am told he didn’t really integrate himself into the group mentality of the team – that will always be a problem.

“But it will be good for him that Mancini is once again his manager because he has worked with him before and he’ll know what works with Balotelli.”

The 30-year-old, who has competed in Germany, Spain and Italy, believes that while City are a club on the rise, they have a long way to go before they match the global acclaim that Liverpool have.

“In Denmark we love English football and most men will have supported a Premier League team when he was a kid.

“I was different. I loved watching Barcelona when Michael Laudrup was there.

“But what I do know is that you cannot compare Manchester City with the history of Liverpool and Manchester United. The history of Liverpool is something special.

“I had heard about Anfield so many times and that’s why in Denmark the club is No.1.

“Four or five years ago the Premier League was only about Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, but now you have teams like Manchester City and Tottenham as well.

“It will take them years to develop a reputation around the world, but it is very exciting for all fans of English football to see how City will do.

“That’s what makes the Premier League the strongest in the world.”