Abate hopes for Balotelli stay

Ignazio Abate hopes that Mario Balotelli will stay at AC Milan and says the forward has the right attitude to lead the Rossoneri to success.

Balotelli has quickly become a key player at the San Siro after his January move from Manchester City, scoring seven goals in six Serie A appearances, and Abate would like to see his Italy team-mate stay put for the foreseeable future.

“Balotelli’s mentality seems right to me. I hope he stays at Milan for a long time. Milanello is a family, everyone helps each other,” the right-back told reporters.

Abate went on to praise promising youngster Mattia De Sciglio, who recently made his Italy debut.

“De Sciglio is a calm and balanced guy who has his head in the right place, which is quite rare for someone so young,” Abate said.

De Sciglio, a 20-year-old defender, has become an important first team member at Milan this term after making his official first team debut in September 2011.