AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy has surprised himself over his scoring success this season.

El Shaarawy tops the scoring charts in Serie A with 14 goals.

"It's all a bit unexpected," he admitted to La Stampa. "A year ago, I would never have believed that I would be Serie A top scorer now.

"The economical crisis has helped me. A lot of youngsters have been given a chance to showcase their skills and they've taken advantage of that.

"We just needed some space - it makes no sense to go and buy players abroad when you already have good players at home."