Barcelona defender Marc Bartra has revealed that club captain Carlos Puyol convinced him to remain with the Spanish champions this summer.

Bartra, 22, has struggled for first-team football since making his debut in 2010, but he has been pressed into action this season following an injury to Javier Mascherano.

"I've never planned anything and didn't want to leave Barca, although it had been spoken about, and last year there was a lot of talk about bringing in a central defender, yet nobody arrived," he told reporters at a press conference.

"But Puyol told me that if I worked hard my time would come and I'd be here for many years, and when your idol says that..."

Puyol is nearing a return to action following a succession of injuries.