Ernesto Valverde hails "very special" Ansu Fati

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has lavished praise on Ansu Fati after the 16-year-old starred for the club in Saturday night's 5-2 win over Valencia.

Fati became Barca's youngest ever La Liga goalscorer when he netted against Osasuna at the end of August.

The attacker then scored a goal and an assist on his full debut against Los Che on Saturday, and Valverde has branded the former Sevilla youngster "really special".

"Ansu Fati is a player who has something really special about him. He is very focused on his own improvement and I am confident of his progression," Valverde told reporters.

"How he develops will depend on him, but he looks to have the correct attitude. He has adapted well to being a first-team player, but he must continue to work hard."

Fati has profited from injuries to the likes of Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez in the early stages of the 2019-20 campaign.

Messi and Dembele remain on the sidelines for the Spanish champions ahead of next week's Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund, but Suarez made a scoring return off the bench against Valencia.