Mario Balotelli has returned to the AC Milan squad for their Coppa Italia quarter-final against Carpi after missing more than three months through injury.

The club named Balotelli in their 23-man squad for the game after he proved his fitness.

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.

Mario Balotelli watches his AC Milan team-mates in action against Bologna from the stands at the San Siro

Balotelli has returned to the Milan squad for their Coppa Italia quarter-final against Carpi

His last game was a 1-0 loss against Genoa in Serie A on September 27.

Speaking on Tuesday, manager Sinisa Mihajlovic said: 'Balotelli is available and should be in the squad tomorrow.'

Balotelli returned to AC Milan on loan last summer after scoring just one goal in his 16 Premier League appearances for Liverpool in the previous campaign.

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.

Mihajlovic also confirmed that French winger Jeremy Menez is also nearing a comeback, having failed to feature in Serie A this season due to a back injury.

'I hope that Jeremy will return soon. He could be back playing by the end of January,' said Mihajlovic.

Balotelli poses alongside Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba in a picture posted to his official Instagram account