Xavi arrived early on Tuesday to begin his first proper day of training as Barcelona boss, according to SPORT.

Xavi, 41, has been lured back to Camp Nou on a contract until 2024 as replacement for Ronald Koeman. The beloved former midfielder had, previously, won 25 major trophies across 767 appearances from 1998-2015.

The Catalan – faced with a squad severely depleted by international call-ups – started work just before 09:00 (GMT+1) at the out-of-town training ground. He met with Eric Garcia, Inaki Pena, Martin Braithwaite, Pedri, Ansu Fati , Nico Gonzalez, Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Luuk de Jong, Riqui Puig, Oscar Mingueza, Samuel Umtiti, Sergino Dest and Neto, before the session began two hours later.

Xavi’s opening fixture is November 20’s derby with Espanyol. Barca sit a distant ninth in the La Liga table.