Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong admits teammate Mario Balotelli can be a "fool".

Balotelli is under the microscope for his madcap performance against Sunderland on Saturday.

"Occasionally he is a fool, sometimes he is a genius," De Jong told NUsport. "He has two sides.

"Some people just need that buzz to perform. Fortunately we have a coach, Roberto Mancini, who speaks his language. That's important for him, otherwise he already would be offer the rails.

"The problems also come from those people who hang around him."