Di Michele is currently on loan to West Ham from Italian side Torino.
Hodgson said: “He is very skilful and adept in front of goal.
“He is very good at sniffing out goal chances and taking them because he has very good technique and manipulates the ball well. I have been surprised by his career in some respects as he has moved on a lot — he’s had eight clubs.
“With his talent, you would have expected him to be like a Del Piero or a Baggio.
“He has started like a house on fire. We will try to make it hard for him but will have a job on our hands.”
