I want to 'slam him against the wall' - Vieira on managing Balotelli

Nice coach Patrick Vieira confessed to frustration when dealing with Italian striker Mario Balotelli.

While gifted, former Manchester City striker Balotelli is notoriously difficult to manage.

His current coach Vieira, a former teammate at both City and Inter Milan, confirmed to French media outlet L'Equipe that that is still the case.

“When it comes to Mario, I want to answer back, or just slam him up against the wall or leave him hanging by his collar on the coat rack, but I can’t, as I’m no longer a player,” he said.

“I have to think twice before I say anything, because it can have an impact and I risk losing a great player. I don’t want to say something I’ll regret.

“I am trying to be constructive in my comments to him.”

It was well publicised that Balotelli stormed off when substituted against Nimes back in November, but there are now reports he also smashed up the locker room and refused to clean it up.

More recently, against Guingamp, it's reported the Italian left to go to the bathroom while Vieira was giving his team talk.

Balotelli scored an impressive 18 league goals for Nice last season but has not scored once this term.