Victor Valdes: I bought new boots for Ansu Fati because his old ones were a disaster Barcelona He coaches the youngster at Juvenil A level

Victor Valdes has stated that he wasn't surprised to see Ansu Fati perform so well on his senior Barcelona debut at the Camp Nou.

Valdes, who coaches Fati for the Juvenil A side, was speaking ahead of his team's match at the Estadi Johan Cruyff against Ajax and he shared an anecdote about the time he helped buy the rising star new boots during a tournament in Russia.

"I told him to bring me his boots and they were a complete disaster, they were causing him pain," Valdes said at a press conference on Monday.

"Nobody had thought it could be the boots, but I did.

"We went to buy some new ones."

As well as sharing this anecdote, Valdes went on to describe Fati as a player.

"He's strong, quick and self-confident," he said.

"You have to give this kind of talent freedom so that he flows.

"I'm so happy for him, he called me this morning and it made me very excited.

"I'm thankful to [Ernesto] Valverde for giving him some minutes.

"His performance didn't surprise me."

The Juvenil A coach and former Barcelona goalkeeper was also asked what advice he'd give to Fati.

"That he doesn't forget where he comes from," Valdes responded.

"He represents hard work.

"He was lucky enough to reach his goal, like others have done.

"Whether he touches glory or not, it's another story.

"He has the soul of an elite player and he's a predator in the box."

Valdes was also asked about the possibility of Neymar returning to Barcelona this summer.

"What I am going to say about Neymar is that I spent a year with him and he always stood out," Valdes said.

"He was involved in the last Champions League that we won.

"But I'm at the bottom [of the club structure], I'm not here to evaluate such things."