After witnessing the youth make an impact on the first squad at Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski lavished praise on his teammate Pau Cubarsi.

Despite only having recently turned 17, Cubarsi has been making an impression in the starting lineup, and Lewandowski says he’s been astonished by his calibre.

“I hadn’t seen a centre back break lines with that ball delivery and with such calmness in a long time, especially at that age.” He’s a wonderful person as well,” he said to TVP Sport.

Lewandowski also discussed Barcelona’s recent performance, noting that it improved after Xavi announced his resignation and that training ground labour is paying off.

“We started training harder and more intensely two weeks ago. We also looked better in the most recent games,” he continued.

“I think now is the right time to demonstrate that we can compete with anyone because we are playing better and better and we are on the upswing.”

When Barcelona plays Napoli the next time, Lewandowski and the team will be hoping that progress continues. The Catalans will advance to the Champions League quarterfinals with a victory.