Barcelona defender Jordi Alba has denied that he attempted to "belittle" Neymar when acknowledging his happiness at Camp Nou.
Earlier this week, comments attributed to Alba suggested that the left-back was relishing having more space and responsibility down the flank since Neymar's move to Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Alba has responded by praising the Brazilian attacker, who used to play from the left alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
The 28-year-old is quoted by Marca as saying: "At no time did I say that I played better without Neymar, quite the opposite.
"We won many titles together and he is a great friend of mine. Now I enjoy having the left-hand side to myself, but I never wanted to belittle Neymar, I would be silly if I did so."
Alba has made 12 starts for the La Liga giants this season.
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