Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde praised young substitute Riqui Puig for the maturity he showed in Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Leonesa in the Copa del Rey.
Puig made his senior debut coming off the bench in the second half as Barcelona eased into the next round with a 5-1 aggregate score.
Valverde hopes it will be the first of many games for the Nou Camp side.
“We’re happy with him,” Valverde said in his post-match press conference.
“This is the first step of a long career.
“He is a player who doesn’t hide and who always wants the ball, but you have to be patient with them.
“It was a game in which those with less minutes played. A mixture with players from the B team.
“The opposition didn’t give up even at 3-0 and the atmosphere was great in the stadium.”
Valverde confirmed Malcom, one of Barcelona’s goalscorers on the night, suffered an ankle injury.
The coach said the severity of the injury is unknown, but there is hope it is not a long-term injury.
“He has a sprain,” Valverde said.
“We don’t know how long he’s out for, but he walked off the pitch.
“We’ll have to wait until Thursday, but it’s the ankle that got injured in the summer so he’s a little scared.”
