Mario Balotelli Wants Coach Allegri To Stay

[Folami David]

Mario Balotelli has urged AC Milan to do everything they can to keep hold of head coach Massimiliano Allegri.
.
Allegri, 45, has been linked with Roma after reports suggesting former Milan midfielders Clarence Seedorf or Mark van Bommel might get his job.
.
"I hope he stays, as I'm really happy with him," Balotelli told Mediaset after the 1-0 win against Torino that maintained AC's Champions League hopes.
.
"If I were the club, I'd do everything to keep hold of him."
.
On Saturday, Milan issued a statement denying rumours Allegri had agreed a three-year contract with Roma.
.
Allegri won the Serie A title in his first season in charge at the San Siro in 2010-11, and his side finished runners-up to Juventus last year. His future is now believed to hinge on whether he can secure entry into Europe's premier club competition.
.
The Rossoneri currently enjoy a four-point advantage in the final qualification spot with three games to go, after Balotelli's ninth goal in 10 top-flight fixtures since his January move from Manchester City saw them past Torino. Fourth-placed Fiorentina lost to Roma.
.
Much of the doubt around the former Cagliari boss's position came after Milan endured their worst ever start to a league campaign following a summer that saw the sale of star names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, who both joined big- spending French side Paris St-Germain.
.
"I'd be happy with the 41 points won in the second half of the season," Allegri told his club's website.
.
"In the last 26 years, Milan have always been playing at the top end of the table but this year it's been difficult, especially at the start. We dropped a lot of points but the club and team stuck together and worked hard and now the results have improved."