AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Friday he was confident Stephan El Shaarawy would prove a big hit with the Serie A champions.

El Shaarawy is set to join Milan on a permanent transfer from Genoa in the next few days after the Rossoneri officially secured part ownership of the 18-year-old starlet last week.

"El Shaarawy is a good talented player and will become a first-class player," Allegri told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He is still young and has a lot of quality. He is the type of player we need to start a new cycle and return to being competitive in Europe.

"However, we will have to be careful with him. I don't want to create an image of him being a phenomenon. He is young and will need time to adapt, but he has the right attitude,” added Allegri, who steered Milan to Serie A triumph in his first season in charge.

El Shaarawy, whose father is Egyptian, made only three appearances with Genoa and impressed while on loan at Serie B side Padova last season, scoring seven goals in 25 league appearances.

The attacking midfielder, who is expected to sign a five-year contract with Milan, neither represented Italy nor Egypt on the senior level.