Sinisa Mihajlovic has issued a fitness update on new signing Kevin-Prince Boateng in light of AC Milan's 1-1 draw with Udinese in Serie A action.

Boateng sealed a return to Milan in January following a miserable and troubled stint in the Bundesliga with Schalke 04. However, despite featuring five times in the league already for his new club, he has only played for 77 minutes and has been used exclusively as a substitute.

Speaking to the media following Milan's home draw on Sunday—where Pablo Armero's opener from Udinese was cancelled out by M'Baye Niang at the San Siro—Mihajlovic issued fitness updates on both Boateng and Italo-Ghanaian striker Mario Balotelli.

"Of course I expect more from [Balotello]," began Mihajlovic, speaking to reporters after the match, "and that will come when his physical condition is optimal.

"As for Boateng, he can't be used from the start [of the match]. He just needs to play to recover form, you can see it's not him now, he's just doing what he can."

Indeed, it's understandable that Boateng—who went head to head with compatriot Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu on Sunday—is lacking match fitness.

The box-to-box midfielder was reduced to the peripheries at Schalke following a poor away showing at the end of the 2014-15 season, and didn't feature at all for the Konigsblauen during the first half of the 2015-16 campaign.

Milan are currently on a good run, having not lost in Serie A since a 1-0 home defeat by Bologna on January 6. The Rossoneri currently sit sixth in the Italian top flight, four points behind AS Roma in fifth.