Balotelli arrived in Italy suggesting his failure at Anfield was a consequence of Brendan Rodgers's tactics rather than his own deficiencies. He scored one Premier League goal last season. "I must accept my faults but the formation chosen by Rodgers was not suited to my characteristics," Balotelli told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"At the beginning I missed several easy chances, then I had fewer chances to score, a bit of bad luck, injuries. A mess of things.
"I never complained - I accepted the decisions of the manager and I always behaved like a professional.
"At Liverpool, my behaviour and lifestyle were normal. Over the last year there was never a problem with my private life. I may have put pictures from restaurants on Instagram, but that does not mean I did not train, even though I was not playing. My problem has never been my quality but my character. There are always a lot of voices surrounding me, every aspect of me is amplified.
"I am a man and I no longer create problems. I am restarting from zero. I know that I can't make any mistakes, I can't expect anything and I must win everything back. I am no longer a child and I have already thrown away too many chances."
Rodgers, meanwhile, hopes to have a luxury of striking options in a couple of weeks. Daniel Sturridge has stepped up his rehabilitation, training at Melwood, with Liverpool hopeful he may be able to return to the squad after the international break. He may join the Liverpool squad for the trip to Old Trafford on September 12.
Markovic moved to Anfield from Benfica a year ago for a fee of 20 million but, despite high expectations, he has failed to hold down a first-team position and leaves England in pursuit of regular football. Liverpool insist the Serbian's exit will be only temporary, a mutually beneficial agreement to ensure the 21-year-old game time. The club hope Markovic will eventually fulfil his potential on Merseyside.
That is why the club were reluctant to sanction a sale, a similar situation evolving to that of French centre-half Mamadou Sakho, who has been offered a new contract at Liverpool despite being out of favour.
Markovic is the latest example of an expensive purchase failing to deliver on a hefty investment. Indeed, of the eight signings Liverpool made last year with the 75 million received from the sale of Luis Suarez, Markovic is the fourth to move elsewhere during the current transfer window.
With Balotelli joining AC Milan, Rickie Lambert was sold to West Bromwich Albion and full-back Javier Manquillo had his two-year loan spell terminated early.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will still be without captain Jordan Henderson and midfielder Adam Lallana for the visit of West Ham United tonight. Henderson's foot injury remains a concern, while Lallana has a thigh problem.
