Former AC Milan forward Dejan Savicevic has questioned why the club took a "reckless bet" on Mario Balotelli.
Balotelli is set to start the second leg of Milan's Coppa Italia semi-final at home to third-tier Alessandria on Tuesday as he attempts to kick-start an injury-hit loan spell and persuade the Rossoneri to make his move from Liverpool permanent at the end of the season.
He told Corriere Dello Sport: "I honestly do not know why Milan decided to take him last summer. It was a decision made by the club that I struggle to understand.
"That's not to say Balotelli is not a great striker but more the kind of guy he is...
"Milan thought they could change him. But I would expect a careful club like Milan not to make such a reckless bet that was so hard to win."
"They [Juve] have the best team with the greatest continuity," he added. "Fifteen games in a row does not come by chance.
"In Maurizio Sarri, Napoli have an excellent coach but they dropped too many points they should not have done.
"But they went to the top with merit and can still grow over the coming seasons.
"Mihajlovic has done the best he could because he does not have the squad of Juve or Napoli. [Juve boss Massimiliano] Allegri has so many champions, while Sarri has three or four players that can make a difference.
"How many does Mihajlovic have? A couple maybe. But he is a great coach, the best possible for this Milan side. He will take them into Europe and will fight to the end to qualify for the Champions League."
"He is like [Gianluigi] Buffon," said Savicevic, who now serves as president of the Montenegrin Football Association. "Only Buffon had the same personality, that confidence and charisma at that age. When I see Donnarumma I forget he is only 17 years old. Milan have found one for the future."
