Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has flown to Qatar in order to continue his recovery from injury.

The Italy international has been absent for almost a month with a groin problem, and while head coach Laurent Blanc has insisted the injury is not serious, the 23-year-old was not fit enough to feature in the Champions League last-16 second-leg victory over Chelsea last week.

Further precautions will now be taken with the former Pescara player, who will not play in next weekend’s Ligue 1 encounter against Monaco.

Instead, with the French title already in the bag, the focus is on having the midfielder fit for the Champions League quarter-finals, which begin in the first week in April.

As part of this plan, Verratti has travelled to the Aspire Hospital in Doha - which is a partner of PSG - in order to receive treatment and to rest.
Doctors from the Italy national team checked on his condition following the first leg of the Parisians’ tie against Chelsea, with the Azzurri keen to keep a close eye on the player prior to Euro 2016.