Barcelona boss Luis Enrique pays tribute to Marc Bartra

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has hailed the 'professionalism' of Spanish centre-back Marc Bartra.

The 25-year-old has largely struggled to hold down a regular spot in the Barcelona XI this season, but he started and indeed scored in Wednesday's 8-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga.

Enrique has hinted that the 25-year-old will once again drop out this weekend as Gerard Pique returns from a suspension, but the Barcelona boss has called on the defender to continue working hard.

"The match in A Coruna served to show that [Marc Bartra] is prepared to work brutally hard from behind the scenes," Enrique told reporters.

"He has the attitude needed for a professional. It's easy to talk and hard to put it into practice, but whenever I've spoken to him, he repeated to me that 'I'm ready for when you need me'. It's a great moment for him and he needs to enjoy continuing to prepare for when gets his next chance."

Bartra has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League.