Marchisio: Verratti very similar to Pirlo

Feb 8, 2013 2:28:00 PM

The Italy star believes the youngster has similar qualities as the former AC Milan ace, and is confident he has a bright future ahead of him

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has taken the time to praise Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti and drew comparisons between him and fellow Italy international Andrea Pirlo.

Verratti impressed in the Azzurri's 1-1 friendly draw against Netherlands on Wednesday after coming off the bench at half-time, and Marchisio believes the 20-year-old has a bright future ahead of him.

"Marco is still young and has room for improvement, but he already has a lot of quality," the Juventus midfielder was quoted as saying by La Stampa.

"He is the player who is most similar to Pirlo. Andrea is a great player and still has plenty of years to play. We would be happy if he played for us forever, but Marco has some great qualities in his role, too.

"Will Verratti ever play for Juventus? I am in no position to answer that. The transfer market is open twice per year, so there's always a chance."

Verratti joined PSG from Pescara in the summer of 2012 and has a contract with the Ligue 1 side until June 2017.