Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri enjoyed his time at AC Milan working with Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli.
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."
