4 Things AC Milan's Stephan El Shaarawy Must Do to Take His Career Forward

It seems like Stephan El Shaarawy has been around forever, but he's still just 22-years-old and has his entire career in front of him.

For a player that had his best season as a professional with Milan in his teenage years, his career has been recently marred by injuries which have prevented him from continuing that dazzling form from two seasons ago.

Now that he's healthy, it's time for El Shaarawy to reach the summit once again. Here are five things he must do to take his career to the next level.

Adding a Few More Dimensions to His Game

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El Shaarawy's best performances for Milan have come when he's playing as a left winger in a 4-3-3 formation. This position allows him to have a run at the defenders while trying to cut in with his right foot and curl the ball past the keeper.

It's hard to stop him once he's in full flight, but he needs to add more of a poacher's element to his game, and perhaps even an aerial threat that allows him to get easier goals and opportunities rather than the usual finesse shots from the edge of the box.

Consider that Italy national team coach Antonio Conte is adamant on playing a 3-5-2 formation and will most likely use El Shaarawy in a more central role.

While the youngster's work rate is what Conte loves, he needs to become a more complete striker overall.

Cultivating Relationship with Inzaghi

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When Stephan El Shaarawy voiced his displeasure about not starting a few games earlier in the season, many would have expected Inzaghi to punish the striker or hit back at him.

Instead, Inzaghi told the media that he applauded this type of mentality from his young player, saying that it's a trait which reminds him of himself from his playing days, via La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italian).

It seems that El Shaarawy and Inzaghi really understand each other on a personal level. Inzaghi is just the type of coach who can really help him become a more all-round striker, which was mentioned in the previous slide.

Staying Injury Free

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This is the point that's really out of El Shaarawy's hands and just a question of fate. After scoring 16 goals two seasons ago in a campaign which really put his name on the map, the player was able to start just one match in the entirety of last season.

It was a dramatic fall from grace that was heavily attributed to injury woes, which resulted in foot surgery, and being truly decimated by the way Massimiliano Allegri was using him the season prior.

Although his work rate was exceptional, always getting back to help the full-back Kevin Constant with overlapping runs, El Shaarawy really ran himself into the ground, and his body simply couldn't handle the rigors on a weekly basis.

Creating a Partnership with Someone Else in the Attack

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Some of the greatest strikers in Milan's history had formidable partnerships with either a striker or a midfielder who would make their job easier up front. Whether or not the opposite player simply created for them or took the attention from the defense away, it's all based on the individual.

El Shaarawy really hasn't been able to get on the same page with Jeremy Menez or Fernando Torres. While El Shaarawy has decent creative ability, he seems to have little to no chemistry with the Frenchman Menez, who often holds on to the ball too long rather than finding the run of a teammate.

We finally saw some hope in Milan's match against Sampdoria several weeks ago that the pair was learning how to play together. With the Rossoneri attack still very much in question, it remains to be seen who'll be El Shaarawy's true partner up front.

One would think that Riccardo Montolivo's comeback after the injury sustained before the World Cup can only be beneficial to El Shaarawy's development and growth. Milan's captain can hit a great long pass to find the attackers making a run into space.