'He made fundamental contribution for me'
Mario Balotelli's strengths provide the Liverpool forward with the ability to make a 'fundamental contribution' to his team, according to Massimiliano Allegri, who managed the Italian at AC Milan.
The powerful striker arrived at Anfield in late August, switching from the Serie A giants to become the final piece of business conducted by Brendan Rodgers in a transfer window that involved nine new recruits.
Glimpses of the No.45's potential have been evident across his eight appearances for the Reds so far, including the composed execution of the strike that broke the deadlock when Ludogorets Razgrad visited in the Champions League.
Balotelli remained at Melwood during the recent international interval, where, Rodgers has since reported, he 'worked very hard... nobody is more determined than him to show his value and worth'.
Allegri witnessed exactly what he is capable of during a 12-month working relationship when the pair were both at Milan, where the 24-year-old found the target 30 times in 54 appearances.
"When I coached him, he played a very good year," said the manager now at the helm of Juventus, speaking on Football Focus on BBC World News.
"Especially in the first six months. He made a fundamental contribution to our third-place finish in the final fixture, which secured us a slot in the Champions League.
"I believe at this moment in time he's still the strongest striker we have in Italy, without wanting to undermine the others. But compared to anyone in Italy, he's still a much stronger player."