Club worried about Balo's behaviour

Manchester City’s wayward striker Mario Balotelli has been warned that his bizarre behaviour is in danger of wrecking his career.

The 20-year-old ensured that City’s three-game tour of America ended on a negative note when he was substituted after half an hour of Sunday’s game against LA Galaxy as punishment for a ridiculous moment of showboating.

Now the Italian’s friend and team-mate Nigel de Jong has warned him that his career will be derailed if he does not begin to show signs of maturity.

‘I think everybody tries to help him, not only me,’ said De Jong. ‘Everybody is trying but it is on him to change.

‘He listens but he has to realise it’s up to him. He has to make the right decisions and get the focus for himself.

‘He’s a very talented guy and he has all the right attributes to be a world-class player. Everyone is always talking about the negative things but, as a football player, he’s one of the biggest talents.

‘It is just frustrating that he does this and he has to iron out those issues otherwise it will be a waste of his talent. He has to realise that.

‘We’ve had a good two-and-a-half weeks of training and he has played a couple of games well.

‘He is coming across strongly in training and progressing every day but he has to remove these kind of moments from his game.’

Balotelli already had a long crime sheet from his single season at City. But his attempt to backheel the ball into the goal when clean through at the Home Depot Center on Sunday was one of his most bizarre episodes yet.

City boss Roberto Mancini called the act unprofessional and has told the former Inter Milan striker to change. De Jong, who reprimanded Balotelli on the pitch, said: ‘I’ve played with some strange characters in the past so I have seen a couple of those things but it’s the first time I have seen that.

‘He must ask himself why he does these things. But that’s for him to learn from and realise that something like this will not be accepted, either by the team or the staff.

‘You’ve already heard the manager’s statement on it, so that’s for us to  follow. It’s important everyone is on the same page and everyone has the same focus and that we remain strong as a group.’

City, who beat Galaxy in a shootout after drawing 1-1, flew back home on Sunday night and will head to Dublin on Friday for a two-game stay in the Republic of Ireland.

De Jong, 26, is preparing for the season with the issue of a new contract hanging over him. With two years remaining on his deal, City are keen to extend the Holland midfielder’s stay 2015 but negotiations have broken down.