Marco Verratti: 'I am not at Andrea Pirlo's level'

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has claimed that he is pleased with the comparisons to Andrea Pirlo, but insisted that he is not at that level yet.

The highly-rated 19-year-old has been in impressive form during the French side's unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season.

PSG manager Carlo Ancelotti is the latest person to compare the Verratti to Juventus star Pirlo, who inspired Italy to the Euro 2012 final in the summer.

"The comparisons with Pirlo do me a lot of good as he is one of the best players in the world," the youngster told L'Equipe.

"I am still far from his level. I will have to work very hard if I am to become as good a player as him and achieve the same success."

Verratti joined PSG in the summer from Italian side Pescara, signing a five-year deal.