Kaka has called on Mario Balotelli to be the kind of striker that AC Milan need as they bid to reverse their decline of recent years.

The Italian sealed a season-long loan back to San Siro in August, having struggled to scale the heights expected of him since joining Liverpool for £16m last summer, scoring just four times in all competitions for the Reds.

Under Filippo Inzaghi, the Rossoneri finished 10th in Serie A last term but, with Sinisa Mihajlovic now in charge, Milan legend Kaka hopes that Balotelli can aid the new coach in helping the club to re-emerge as a force in Italy's top flight.

"Mario is a very talented player, there is no doubt about it," the Brazilian and Orlando City playmaker told Goal.com.

"But he must understand that this isn't an easy time for him and he really needs to find some motivation in order to use his talent to help the team.

"He's the type of player who can easily change a match at any time - and I hope he can lend a hand to Milan's season."

Balotelli previously spent 18 months at Milan after joining from Manchester City in January 2013.