Marco Verratti has returned to training with Paris Saint-Germain, giving the Ligue 1 leaders a timely fitness boost ahead of next week’s Champions League clash with Manchester United. After suffering a sprained ankle last month, the Ligue 1 leaders have welcomed the Italian midfielder back to team training.
Verratti limped off during a game against Guingamp last month and was diagnosed with a sprained ankle, making him a doubt for the last-16 tie against United. But the Italy midfielder trained with his team-mates on Monday and could be fit to play at Old Trafford on February 12. Thomas Tuchel is expected to be without Brazil forward Neymar for both legs, however.
The world’s most expensive player suffered a recurrence of a foot injury in a Coupe de France win against Strasbourg last month and could end up missing two or more months. Marco Verratti was absent as PSG lost for the first time in Ligue 1 this season, falling to a 2-1 defeat away to Olimpique Lyon on Sunday night.
The midfielder has featured in 14 Ligue 1 contests this season, as well as five of PSG’s six Champions League matches to date. He has managed just an assist in the two competitions. Despite that setback against Lyon, PSG are coasting in Ligue 1 and with a 10 point advantage over second-placed Lille, and two games in hand on their nearest chaster, look set to take home yet another domestic honor.
However, it in the UEFA Champions League where Thomas Tuchel will be looking to overturn recent history and take the club to new heights in the competition. PSG’s recent spell of domestic success have still seen them limited to just the quarterfinals in the Champions League, and the last two seasons have seen the club go out at the round of 16 stage of the competition.
A creative, hard-working, and technically gifted playmaker, Verratti began his career with Italian club Pescara in 2008, where he soon rose to prominence as one of the best young midfielders in Europe, helping the team to win the 2011–12 Serie B title, and winning the 2012 Bravo Award.
His playing style drew comparisons with Andrea Pirlo, due to his passing ability, vision, and control, as well as his similar transition from the role of trequartista to that of a regista. In the summer of 2012, he transferred to French side Paris Saint-Germain, where he won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles from 2012 to 2016, among other domestic and individual trophies.