AC Milan call up striker Balotelli

(Reuters) - AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli got a much needed call up for the upcoming Coppa Italia quarter-final against Carpi after being on the sidelines for more than three months with injuries. The club named the 25-year-old Balotelli in their 23-man squad for the Carpi game, their website (www.acmilan.com) showed. The striker, who underwent surgery in Munich in mid-November for a sports hernia, returned to training in early December, but has not played competitively since. His last game was a 1-0 loss against Genoa in Serie A on Sept. 27. Balotelli returned to AC Milan on loan in the current season after scoring just one goal in his 16 Premier League appearances for Liverpool last season. The Italian forward has recently indicated he wants to make a comeback to the national team for Euro 2016, though coach Antonio Conte has said he has got to prove he is up to it. (Reporting by Silvia Recchimuzzi in Gdynia; Editing by Richard Balmforth)