Valverde on Murillo: We needed someone on loan who knows the league well LaLiga Santander - FC Barcelona Discussed what defender can offer

Jeison Murillo fitted the bill perfectly for what Barcelona were looking for from a winter signing, coach Ernesto Valverde has revealed.

Samuel Umtiti's knee problems meant that the Blaugrana were forced into the market to find defensive cover in the event that the Frenchman can't regain full fitness.

They found the man they were looking for in Murillo, who has arrived on loan from Valencia until the end of the season.

"We are in a delicate moment with our centre-backs and so far we have managed it well, but we don't know how it will go going forward," Valverde explained in a press conference on Friday.

"We took into account the situation of the club and we wanted someone on loan who could play immediately and who knew the league well.

"Murillo met those requirements and he can help us in the short term so the club did a good job with his signing.

"Signings at this club need to be familiar with us as we're continuing our fight for two major competitions soon and we couldn't have brought along players who need to adapt.

"Murillo is a good player who can help us and be important for us so we will push forward and hope for the best."

The former Olympiacos boss also turned his attention to his side's final game of 2018 against Celta Vigo, urging his players to end the year on a high at the top of the league table.

"They are an opponent who usually play very well against us and it is the last game of the year," he added.

"We want to maintain our advantage over our opponents at the top and enjoy the holiday as leaders.

"For us, we want to be happy about that going into the break, although we know it is going to be complicated."

The match against the Galician outfit kicks off at 18:30 CET on Saturday evening.