"?Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has responded to Mino Raiola's comments over his alleged treatment of Mario Balotelli.
Raiola, Balotelli's agent, recently referred to Klopp as a 'piece of sh*t', and said that the manager was wrong for sticking the striker in the reserve team.
"In the end, the higher-ups at Liverpool admitted that Klopp was wrong [to send Balotelli to train with the reserves],"? he said.
"I'm not trying to judge him as a coach "? although, for me, he's not a good coach "? but he didn't understand that Balotelli is, whatever else, a person.
"Mario has been exemplary. He never complained about training alone. To say that it was wrong of Klopp would be an understatement; he was a piece of shit about it."?
A week or so later, he insisted that his opinion of Klopp would not stand in the way of any deal between Liverpool and one of his clients.
"I will never be standing in the middle of the interest of my player but it doesn't mean I have to shut up when I see things are not being done in a good way," he explained.
"I have no problem to talk to Liverpool tomorrow and offer them one of my players. If I have to be afraid of speaking my mind because I lose a deal, then I lose my powers. I'd rather go walking through life than living on my knees."?
Klopp, meanwhile, seems unmoved by Raiola's bashing. On Thursday, he was asked about the agent's comments and claimed to be uninterested, pointing out that Raiola was free to say whatever he wanted to.
As quoted in the"? Daily Star, Klopp said "We did not isolate him [Balotelli]...
"I'm not interested in things like this,"? he added. "It's a free world, he can say what he wants. There's no problem.
"It's part of the business. It's all good."?