Jordi Alba: "No need to compare Yamal with Messi"

Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba has urged fans to be patient with new signing Yamal, saying it is unfair to compare him to Lionel Messi.

Yamal has joined Barcelona from Manchester City for a fee of £50 million, but he has yet to make his debut for the Catalan club.

Some fans have been critical of Yamal's performances in pre-season, but Alba has defended his new team-mate.

"Yamal is a great player," Alba said. "He has a lot of potential, but he is still young and he needs time to adapt to Barcelona.

"We shouldn't be comparing him to Messi. Messi is one of the greatest players of all time. Yamal is a different player, and he will need time to find his feet at Barcelona.

"I'm sure he will be a success at Barcelona, but we need to be patient with him," Alba added.

Yamal is expected to make his Barcelona debut in the Copa del Rey match against Real Murcia on Wednesday.