Jorge Sampaoli pays tribute to Neymar

Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli has lavished praise on Barcelona forward Neymar following Wednesday night's La Liga clash at Camp Nou.

A Luis Suarez effort and a double from Lionel Messi saw Barcelona comfortably beat Sevilla 3-0 in the midweek fixture as the Europa League winners continued their poor run of form.

Sampaoli picked out Neymar after the clash, however, insisting that the 25-year-old, who netted his 100th Barcelona goal at the weekend, is "a worthy successor to Messi".

"I congratulated Neymar for his game and for the admiration I have for him. He is a worthy successor to Messi and is on the road to big things. I have a good relationship with him," Sampaoli told reporters.

Neymar needed just 177 games to reach 100 goals for Barcelona following a move from Brazilian side Santos in the summer of 2013.