'He's one of the best midfielders in the world' - Tuchel hails PSG's Verratti following new contract

The Italian is a coach's dream, his manager said after the midfielder signed a new contract with the French side

head coach Thomas Tuchel hailed "extraordinary" star Marco Verratti as one of the best midfielders in the world.

Verratti signed a new five-year deal with PSG on Wednesday, having established himself as an integral member of the champions since arriving in 2012.

The international, who will remain in Paris until 2024, has won six Ligue 1 titles and 22 trophies in total following his transfer from Pescara.

Tuchel lauded the 26-year-old as a coach's dream ahead of Friday's trip to bottom side .

The club is pleased to announce the extension of Marco Verratti's contract for additional seasons.



The Italian midfielder, who will turn 27 next Tuesday, is now signed through June 30, 2024 pic.twitter.com/7cjVOEeO1Y — Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) October 30, 2019

"As I often said, Marco is very important," Tuchel told reporters. "He's a key player. He's one of the best midfielders in the world.

"There is always room for improvement but he's highly reliable. He has loads of responsibilities inside the group. He always thinks about others and their happiness. He's a team player. Coaching Marco is the best that can happen to a coach.

"To give you an example, ahead of our game against Nice, he played with Italy. It was a Friday evening, both games were very close [Italy played the 15th and PSG on the 18th].

"He came back on Thursday. On Friday I talked to him and he said to me: 'No, no, no! I'll play against Nice, I'll play!'. We've decided then that he will not play.

"Back in the training on Saturday he was there giving everything during both small and bigger exercises. We've got a small session with eight players, we walked, we played a few games… and he trained like a youngster about maybe 18 or 19 years old trying to prove to the coach that he can play.

"This is what Marco is about. It shows a lot in my opinion. I'm delighted to be his coach.

"I'm really pleased he's with us because he's an extraordinary player with a very rare mindset. I think that everybody is happy he's with us."

PSG currently sit atop Ligue 1, maintaining an eight-point lead over second-place Nants through 11 league matches.

Following their match against bottomfeeders Dijon, PSG will return to play as the French champions host Belgian side in Paris.