The young attacker is enjoying playing alongside the former Manchester City attacker and believes they complement each other
Stephan El Shaarawy has insisted that the arrival of Mario Balotelli at AC Milan in the January transfer window has not affected his form.
The 20-year-old was one of the revelations of the first half of the season, but has been struggling to replicate those performances after the winter break.
El Shaarawy has netted only twice in his last 12 Serie A games, but is adamant that his lack of goals is not related to Balotelli’s in January.
“There’s no truth in the criticism that Balotelli’s arrival has hurt my form. We understand each other perfectly and have done good things in each game we played together,” El Shaarawy told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I don’t think that my style of play has changed now Mario is here. I still get chances to score, but I have been a bit unlucky. Balotelli is a team-mate who always tries to help me and get involved a lot.
“Mario arrived at Milan at just the right time. He got here when I started scoring fewer goals. He has great technical qualities and has linked up very well with the rest of the team. He has surprised me in a positive way.”
Balotelli has netted seven goals in as many Serie A appearances since his winter transfer.