England midfielder Milner exposes Italian striker Balotelli's 'two faces'

London, June 21(ANI): England midfielder James Milner has said Manchester City teammate and Italian striker Mario Balotelli has two completely different personalities.

Balotelli made a goal-scoring appearance as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Ireland on Monday, and then had to be calmed down in celebrations that showed his displeasure at being dropped for the opening draw with Spain.

"There are two Marios. There is one who sometimes turns up in training and it is a bit cold and not too interested. The other time he really wants it and he is a special talent. He is a top player and we know that," The Sun quoted Milner, as saying.

"We might give him a bit of banter. It was good to see him score against Ireland but I think our boys at the back have been outstanding so far in this tournament,' he added.

Milner is confident central defenders and another City player Joleon Lescott will keep Balotelli quiet on the pitch as England look to reach their first semi-final since 1996.

"Joleon has been like that all season for City and now he is doing it for England as well. He obviously knows Mario well, trains with him every day and I'm sure he will keep him quiet," Milner said.

"We have seen Mario is a different player and he's going to cause you problems. He is tricky, very strong and a clever player as well. No doubt he is a danger but he is one of many - they have a lot of good players in their team," he added.

"We have to make sure we don't just concentrate on Mario and we will do our homework and try and perform well. But we know if we play to the best of our ability, we can get another win," he said. (ANI)