Luis Enrique hails Andre Gomes

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has leapt to the defence of under-fire midfielder Andre Gomes, who scored in his team's 4-2 win over Valencia in La Liga on Sunday night.

Gomes arrived at Camp Nou from Valencia last summer, and has been a regular with the Spanish champions this season, appearing in 21 of the club's 28 La Liga matches during the 2016-17 campaign.

The Portuguese has struggled to win over sections of the Camp Nou support, however, and faced boos when he entered the field during Sunday's clash with Valencia.

Gomes netted Barcelona's fourth of the night late on though, and Enrique has revealed that the midfielder's goal was 'the highlight of his night'.

"Gomes? His goal was my highlight of the night, I congratulate the fans who applauded him when there were whistles. Andre will be very valuable to Barca in the coming years, you'll see. He has personality, physicality and unique quality for a player with his characteristics," Enrique told reporters.

Gomes's strike against Valencia was the 23-year-old's first in a Barcelona shirt.