Barcelona director Eric Abidal: 'Replacing Andres Iniesta is impossible'

Incoming Barcelona technical director Eric Abidal has confessed that replacing long-serving midfielder Andres Iniesta at Camp Nou is an "impossible" task.

The Catalan giants waved goodbye to the legendary playmaker last month in an emotional sendoff following 22 years of service.

Iniesta, who won 32 trophies across 16 seasons in Barca's senior ranks, is due to start a new chapter in the Far East following Spain's World Cup campaign.

Philippe Coutinho was brought in during the January transfer window and others have also been linked, but Abidal admits that the hole left behind by the 34-year-old will never be truly filled.

"We will make the decisions according to the needs of the team," he told reporters. "But we cannot replace Iniesta with a player of the same quality, that's impossible."

Abidal will officially take over technical director duties from Robert Fernandez at the end of the month.