"He's working very well" - Barcelona boss Xavi believes 20-year-old star could play for the club for 'many years'

Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez lavished high praise on 20-year-old midfielder Fermin Lopez post his stellar performance in his side's 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Talking to reporters in the post-match press conference, the Spanish manager stated that Lopez has the ability to prosper at Barcelona for years to come.

The Blaugrana extended their unbeaten start to the 2022-23 season by securing their third win in the UCL group stage. Xavi's men were especially impressive in the first half, attempting nine shots and converting two of them.

Ferran Torres opened the scoring in the 28th minute, putting in the rebound after a Fermin Lopez shot rattled off the crossbar. Lopez got on the scoresheet just eight minutes later, doubling Barcelona's lead with a thunderous strike from outside the box.

Xavi seemed understandably impressed by the youngster's performance, which was reflected in his comments in the post-match press conference. The Spaniard said (via SportsMole):

"I'm happy for Fermin Lopez. He's working very well, he has the skills."

"I really like Fermin Lopez. He is a player who could be at Barcelona for many years. These are very big words."

Lopez was pivotal throughout his time on the pitch, attempting 45 passes with an impressive accuracy rate of 82%. The Barcelona prodigy also made three accurate long balls and took four shots, two of which were on target.

Fermin Lopez was finally taken off in the 82nd minute. The La Masia graduate has now scored two goals and provided one assist this season, despite spending just 405 minutes on the pitch.

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Barcelona youngsters seem to be prospering well under Xavi

Ever since Xavi's appointment as Barca's head coach, the 2010 World Cup winner has handed out debuts to multiple promising stars from La Masia. As many as seven academy graduates made their maiden senior team appearances under the Spaniard last term.

Lamine Yamal famously became the youngest player ever to play for Barcelona, making his debut against Real Betis towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign. Apart from him, Inaki Pena, Marc Casado, Chadi Riad, Angel Alarcon, and Aleix Garrido also got the opportunity to don the legendary Blaugrana jersey for the very first time. He also handed Hector Bellerin his first senior appearance for Barcelona, following Bellerin's return to Catalonia.

The former Al Sadd boss continues to put his faith in La Masia graduates, giving Fermin Lopez and Marc Guiu the opportunity to play for Barcelona this term. While Lopez has truly announced himself to the footballing world, Guiu also repaid his boss' trust by bagging the winner against Athletic Bilbao on October 22.