There is a lot of optimism about the future of Arthur at Barcelona.

The midfielder arrived at the Catalan giants this summer with big boots to fill.

Signed for £27 million from Gremio, it was hoped the 22-year-old would help fill the void left by the departure of Andres Iniesta.

And it seemed like he had the potential to do so after his debut in June.

Arthur put in a solid performance and scored a long range screamer as Barcelona defeated Tottenham on penalties.

Ernesto Valverde explained after that game his happiness over his debut.

"He is a player who can give us a lot and he has shown he knows how to get the ball and give us a way out," he said, per Goal.

"Arthur has also shown how to approach shooting areas to score the goal he has scored.

"We have been training together for a while, just like with [former Sevilla defender] Clement Lenglet, with whom we have less doubts because he comes from LaLiga.

"In the case of Arthur we work so that he adapts. He had a good debut. He was very motivated."

And despite only being at the club a matter of months, Valverde is not the only man to be impressed with the youngster.

The Brazilian midfielder has featured twice so far in La Liga, both from the bench, but that has not stopped Lionel Messi giving him some very high praise.

The Argentine stated how Arthur had 'surprised' him, before comparing him to Barcelona great, Xavi.

"They are very good, those that have come in, in particular Arthur has surprised me as I didn't really know him," Messi revealed, per Marca.

"He is very similar to Xavi as he likes to have the ball, play short, not lose it and is very solid.

"He surprised me but I like them all. Arthur has the style we have here, he understood quickly in training.

"Barcelona fans like players who are good with the ball at their feet and we are used to having possession."

Very high praise indeed. Arthur has a long way to go to emulating the success of Xavi, but he has shown he has the potential to become a very special player in the future.