Joan Verdu has spoken of playing with Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho at Espanyol.

Coutinho will face his old club today.

Verdu, now playing in China, told Sport: "He was only 19 but he was showing back then he had something different. You could tell. His career's gone from strength to strength and now he's at Barcelona with the world's best.

"I remember he was quite introverted, that he was coming to a new place and he wasn't the typical Brazilian [character]. He had a good season at Espanyol and I think he will have good memories from that time of his career.

"He is a great player, not to mention one of the game's top cracks. At that level, players adapt quickly. He knows elite football, he knows the city and he will integrate easily and adapt to Valverde's system."