AC Milan captain Riccardo Montolivo has given Mario Balotelli a Christmas deadline to prove he has changed his attitude.
Montolivo praised Balotelli for ignoring provocation during the 3-2 triumph over Udinese on Tuesday, but insisted the Italian’s future would only have become clear by the festive period. Balotelli opened his goal account for the 2015/16 campaign with a sublime early free-kick during the match.
“I told him to prove that he’s changed, not with talk,” Montolivo told Premium Sport. “He’s doing that. He was provoked throughout the game, but he showed maturity. At Christmas we’ll add everything up and see if he has changed or not.”
Milan head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was also full of praise for Balotelli after the match and said he would keep him from straying down the wrong path.
“So far his behaviour has been perfect and on the field he made the difference tonight. He needs to be consistent, training well, behaving well and playing well. “I’ll make sure he sticks to the right path.”
Balotelli finally returned to Milan in the summer after being linked with a host of clubs during the transfer window.
