AC Milan signing Michael Essien has stated that the Barcelona midfield is the strongest and toughest he has faced in his football career so far.

Essien fought many crunch battles with the Catalans whilst he was at Chelsea and also got the chance to play against them during his season-long loan spell at Real Madrid.

“This is always a tough one to answer and I always say the toughest jobs I have had to deal with on the pitch is playing the Barcelona midfield and front men,” the Ghanaian midfielder told SuperSports.

“They pass you to death but you can’t take your eyes off them because as soon as you blink they are gone. Your concentration has to be 100% for 95 minutes and that’s what makes them toughest opponents to play against.”

Essien joined the Rossoneri in January and could face La Liga side in the Uefa Champions League should they progress.