Former Inter star Diego Milito believes Mauro Icardi is on a par with Juventus forward Gonzalo Higuain.
The two sides met in the Derby d Italia on Sunday, with Icardi on the scoresheet as Inter ran out surprise 2-1 winners, while Higuain had to settle for a place on the visitors bench at San Siro.
Milito, who won the Champions League with the Nerazzurri in 2010, was surprised at omission of Juve s record signing and holds Icardi in similarly high regard.
[Massimiliano] Allegri will have had his reasons, but I was very surprised when I saw Pipa [Higuain] on the bench, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
But Icardi is worth the same as Higuain. For the title of top-scorer [in Serie A], I see a fight between the two of them.
Icardi had netted all four of Inter s goals this season prior to Ivan Perisic s winner, which young skipper created himself, to earn further praise from Milito.
He [Icardi] is a killer in the box and everyone knows it, but against Juve he was a real team man, he said.
This was demonstrated by the way he picked up fouls for the team against [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Giorgio] Chiellini, and the ease with which, even when it seemed like he had lost an opportunity, he put in the cross to Perisic.
And he s only 23 years old!
