Manchester United would stand to benefit greatly by signing Italian midfielder Marco Verratti from Paris Saint-Germain, according to Dimitar Berbatov.

In an interview with Betfair.com, Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov has claimed that PSG superstar Marco Verratti would be “great at Manchester United”, adding that the Italian international possesses the quality and class of Barcelona legends Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

Manchester United suffered their first defeat under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier this week, when they were beaten 0-2 by PSG at Old Trafford in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. And Verratti was one of the star players for the French champions on the night, along with former Manchester United star Angel Di Maria.

Verratti put in a masterclass in the middle of the park, controlling the tempo of the game beautifully and Berbatov was full of praises for the 26-year-old Italian, claiming that he was up there with the likes of Xavi and Iniesta, before adding that he would be a great fit at Manchester United. However, he did concede that it would be highly unlikely that PSG would be willing to sell their midfield jewel.

The former Red Devils’ striker, who won two Premier League titles with the club between 2008 and 2012, told Betfair.com: “Marco Veratti was very impressive in the centre of the park for PSG. What I like about him is that his first thought is always to go forwards, but if that’s not on, he’s happy just to keep the ball, controlling the tempo and almost putting the other team to sleep.

“The Italian is an unbelievable talent; he reminds me of Xavi and Iniesta in many ways. He’d be great at United next to Nemanja Matic in midfield, allowing the Serbian to do the dirty work while he controlled the game. Can’t see PSG selling though!”

Verratti bossed the midfield battle against Manchester United (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
Verratti bossed the midfield battle against Manchester United (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)

Verratti is currently in his seventh season at PSG, having arrived from Italian side Pescara back in the summer of 2012. During his stay with Les Parisiens, the 26-year-old has established himself as one of the finest operators in the midfield across Europe.

The Italian has racked up over 260 appearances for the French capital club, scoring 8 goals and assisting 44 more, winning 5 Ligue 1 titles in the process, with the sixth one likely to come this season. Injuries have hampered Verratti to some extent this term, limiting him to just 15 league appearances, but he proved his class with his exceptional performance against Manchester United.

Verratti is contracted with PSG till the summer of 2021. The midfielder had been linked with Manchester United last summer when Jose Mourinho was still in-charge at Old Trafford. However, nothing materialized back then and as Berbatov says, it is extremely unlikely that PSG would be willing to offload the midfielder anytime soon, as he is about to enter his peak years.

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