‘Il Principino’ Reiterates Commitment Amid Manchester United Conjecture

Reputed Manchester United target Claudio Marchisio has reiterated his committed to Juventus ahead of next month's transfer window.

The hugely talented Italian international, whose grace and poise in possession has earned him the nickname the Little Prince (Il Principino), has been perpetually linked with a move to Manchester United over the last 18-months having been regularly monitored by Sir Alex Ferguson's wide-reaching network of scouts.

The Serie A playmaker, who has been central to Juventus excellent start to the season, has been touted as a possible successor to Manchester United legend Paul Scholes and likened to another of the Red Devils' reputed targets Daniele De Rossi of Roma.

Manchester United have been widely criticised for having a perceived weakness in their central midfield area, with injuries to Anderson and Tom Cleverley merely heightened links to a host of Europe's top playmakers. Ferguson recently suggested a foray in the transfer market next month was incredibly unlikely, yet Marchisio's name remains perennially associated with the Red Devils.

The 25-year-old has previously commented on Manchester United's alleged admiration in him by admitting it was an honour that Sir Alex Ferguson considered him worthy, yet his revival in Turin and commitment to Juve suggests a deal next month is not on the agenda.

"Although there were a lot of rumours about a potential transfer, I always had the club's full confidence," The rumoured Manchester United target told Tuttosport.

"I never even thought about leaving Juventus. I had only just signed a contract extension and had absolutely no reason to think about a transfer."

At the beginning of August the mercurial playmaker admitted Manchester United's interest in him was hugely flattering even though he remained very much committed to Juventus

"It's nice because they [Manchester United] are a great team but I am a Juve player and I can't think of anything better than to finish the season wearing this jersey. I hope to continue here for as long as possible," Marchisio said at the beginning of the season.

Manchester United have been linked with the likes of Luka Modric, Wesley Sneijder and Mario Götze in the last few months, and the perception of a fallible midfield is unlikely to disappear when United take on Basel in the Champions League this evening. Michael Carrick is suspended meaning Ryan Giggs could be recalled into the heart of Sir Alex Ferguson's midfield. Darren Fletcher, Phil Jones and Park Ji-Sung are also in contention.