Mad Mario earns a place in City’s Hart

GOALKEEPER Joe Hart admits life can be frustrating with Mario Balotelli but he is convinced the striker now has his head “screwed on”.

Balotelli’s remarkable propensity to create headlines on and off the pitch continued over the weekend after a domestic firework incident was followed by a devastating two-goal display in a 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United.

The fire service were called to Balotelli’s Cheshire home in the early hours of Saturday morning after a firework set off from inside the bathroom started a blaze.

The Italian was forced to decamp to a hotel but the incident barely seemed to have ruffled him as he revealed a T-shirt asking: ‘Why Always Me?’ after his first goal in Sunday’s rout at Old Trafford.

The 21-year-old rarely seems far from controversy despite earning praise for greater on-field maturity of late but, after six goals in five games, Hart is growing to love him.

Hart said: “I think we were all a bit unsure last season, outside and inside, what he was about.

“I think he has grown as a person and accepted who and what he is in this team. He is someone we look to.

“All the hype that comes with Mario is standard procedure. That is the beauty of football, that is what he is.

“You get these characters and sometimes it is frustrating to be with him, but not so much this season.

“His head is really screwed on and we are all 100% behind him. I think everyone is delighted he is getting the right kind of love he deserves. He is a team player, he scored his goals and I am delighted for him.”

Balotelli was at his best as City hammered their nearest rivals to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League in an emphatic statement of their title credentials.

Hart said: “It was as good as it looked. The fans felt amazing, the lads felt amazing. There was a real feel-good vibe about it.

“It’s magnificent football we’ve been playing all year. We have got top-quality players and we have proved that.

“United were bleeding when they had a man sent off and we went in for the kill.”

Meanwhile, City’s former captain Kolo Toure has dampened some of the euphoria surrounding the rout of United by revealing he is open to a move to Paris St Germain.

“I would be interested because of the competition there currently is at City,” Toure is quoted as saying by RMC Sport. “If the name of Paris comes it will not be like previous years.

“Now if they call me, I would listen to what they say. Given the very good players there are there, it really makes you want to go there, it’s clear.

“I know I’m not the only player interested, there are other players who really want to play for PSG.’’

While City were basking in the afterglow of Sunday’s victory, United were reflecting on their heaviest derby loss for 85 years.

However Darren Fletcher is convinced the champions will recover strongly.

Fletcher, who scored United’s consolation, said: “Without doubt we realise how much stick and how much banter there will be for our fans.

“We know how much it is hurting, the players are hurting just as much.

“We have to live in the city as well so we are going to have to deal with it as well.

“We are disappointed, really disappointed, but we will have to bounce back.

“Nobody wants to lose by the margin we did.

“But as I kept reiterating to the lads after the game, remember how it feels to lose by this scoreline.

“There is a long season to go. There are no medals handed out at this stage of the season. There are still 20-odd games left.

“It is a bad result losing to Manchester City but this doesn’t mean the league is over. We have to respond and win our next game.”