Jordi Alba has revealed that he is 'looking forward to the challenge' of playing under Ernesto Valverde at Barcelona next season.

Alba, 28, has been a regular at Barcelona since a 2012 move from Valencia, but the left-back only started 21 La Liga matches last term as he dropped out of favour with Luis Enrique.

The Spain international was linked with a move away from Camp Nou in the latter stages of last season, but he is now expected to remain at Barcelona and is relishing the chance of a fresh start under the stewardship of Valverde.

"I want to play as much as possible under Valverde. With him everyone starts from zero, so I'm happy for the new challenge ahead," Sport quotes Alba as saying.

Alba, who has been sporadically linked with Manchester United, has won three La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns and one Champions League title since arriving at Barcelona.