Italy coach Antonio Conte believes Mario Balotelli should not be treated any differently from his peers but has urged the Liverpool striker to prove himself following his recall to the national side.
The 24-year-old has had a miserable start to his Anfield career with just two goals, neither of which have been in the Premier League, and criticism is growing over his contribution.
With that in mind it was something of a surprise he was recalled to the Italy squad but Conte, while having some sympathy for the player, wants to see for himself the state of Balotelli's game.
"Personally, I'm not going to pay attention to talk about the club,'' he told a news conference as his squad gathered for their Euro 2016 qualifier against Croatia and friendly against Albania.
"People try to exaggerate each situation and I feel sorry for him. Today he is here and he has to answer to me. I will judge him by what he does in the next seven to nine days.
"I'm worried that people see Balotelli differently to the others. Balotelli is a normal footballer, just like the others. We don't need to differentiate Balotelli from the others, he's just one of the 23 players."
Without Balotelli, Ciro Immobile and Simone Zaza have taken over as the starters in attack under Conte's preferred 3-5-2 formation. It remains to be seen if Balotelli will be used as a bench option or possibly replace Zaza.
"Balotelli has significant experience with the national team, he has played at a World Cup and a European Championship, but that's not enough.
"He needs to catch my eye and I have to see if he can adapt to our type of football. If he can, he can play in the starting lineup, but he can also be on the bench or in the stands.
"My duty is to see how I can use them [the players] in this national team. This route has today provided Balotelli with the chance to show what he can be. Should he not prove himself, it'll be for a reason.''
Conte said he will start Balotelli only if he proves he is at the same levels as his other top player.
"Immobile, Zaza, (Graziano) Pelle and (Sebastian) Giovinco start with an advantage," Conte added. "If over the course of a week Balotelli shows me he's reached the level of the others then he could pass in front of them."
While Italy has won all four of their matches under Conte, the Azzurri struggled somewhat in their last two games, a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan and a 1-0 victory over Malta.
Zaza said he's happy to have Balotelli on the squad.
"I'm looking forward to knowing [Balotelli]. It's good to have competition," Zaza said. "It could help the squad. I knew sooner or later he would be called up. He's one of the best Italian forwards."