Speaking ahead of his side’s Copa del Rey first leg against Elche, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has denied claims that he has been handed an ultimatum by club officials. It has been reported that Enrique was told he needed to win his next two matches against Elche and Atletico Madrid and improve his relationship with players at the club – or face the sack.

The Barcelona boss gave straight forward responses to questions proposed about his future at the Catalan club, as well as his relationship with Argentina international Lionel Messi.

“I have maintained contact wit the president but I’m not going to say about what things [we have discussed],” Enrique said after he was asked if he was under pressure by club officials and Barcelona supporters.

“The continuity of any coach always depends on results – that’s the first thing we are taught in coaching school. I feel that I have the backing of the club and the players, I’m absolutely sure of that. I will continue working with the same professional approach. It’s not my job to confirm or deny what’s written in the press. My job is to do what’s best for Barcelona.”

“I haven’t received an ultimatum. I’ve never had any such threat in my entire career. For me, the situation is optimistic – we’re alive in all three competitions. I’ve got no complaints about our fans.”

The Barcelona boss was then asked about his relationship with Lionel Messi, which by many accounts has been fractured.

“I can’t confirm or deny these rumors that appear in the press. There are so many of them, but I’m going to keep doing my job as well, and as professionally as I can I will continue serving the club. That’s why I’m here and what I am going to continue doing while I’m here.”

“I’ve said it many times, Messi is the most important player in the world and therefore also the best player in our squad. I’ve said it enough times, it’s not worth repeating myself.”

When asked to elaborate on his relationship with Messi and the rest of the Barcelona squad following the events from this past weekend which saw the manager start a handful of players on the bench, Enrique replied: “I have the same relationship with all of the players as I had at the start of the season. Nothing has changed – in some ways those relationships are even better than before.”

“I wasn’t happy with the Real Sociedad result, none of us were, especially after Real Madrid had lost. It was a wasted opportunity, a chance to put pressure on them. These things are always going to happen at certain stages of the season, we need to be prepared for setbacks. We need to be prepared to take advantage of slips that Real Madrid might make later on in the season.”

Programming note: Barcelona vs. Elche will be shown LIVE on Thursday starting at 3:55pm EST on BeinSPORTS and DishWorld.