‘Old man’ Ferran Torres ready to step up for Barcelona ahead of crunch games

Ferran Torres says he’s ready to step up for Barcelona ahead of key games against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga.

The 23-year-old also admits that he’s feeling like an “old man” at Barcelona at the moment after seeing teenagers such as Lamine Yamal and Marc Guiu play starring roles.

“I am prepared to step up and take more responsibility in attack. I feel like an old man [compared to Barcelona’s many young talents],” he said.

“I try to give advice to these players who are very strong and are establishing themselves in starting positions. A lot of pressure is on them, but they should handle it well. They have enormous potential.”

Xavi is likely to start Ferran in attack with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha missing but Guiu could get some minutes after his heroics against Athletic.

Torres says he could see in training with Guiu that the youngster had plenty of goals in him.

“It was such a surprise to see him scoring just a few seconds after coming on, but in training he has shown us that he is a player who can score goals and who brings to the game the kind of joy we need.”

Barcelona face Shakhtar on Wednesday and will be hoping for a third straight win in the group stages after victories over Antwerp and Porto.