Andoni Zubizarreta has dismissed suggestions that the club may have made a mistake in signing Jeremy Mathieu.
The 30-year-old arrived at the Camp Nou earlier this week after a £15.8m fee was agreed with Valencia, and the sporting director believes that the French defender's age should not be considered a problem for Barcelona.
"Mathieu is an excellent football player, that's what I think, and he will help us with our operation ahead," Zubizarreta told reporters.
"I will not get into numbers, for me that isn't important. It is said that when a player is 30 years old he is finished and then later we see that he is not. He's in excellent physical condition."
Mathieu made over 100 La Liga appearances for Valencia in a five-year spell at the Mestalla.
