Dundee United skipper Lee Wilkie insists there are plenty of positives to take from their friendly against Barcelona - despite a 5-1 defeat.The Taysiders held their own in the first half, even taking the lead through a Prince Buaben header before Thierry Henry restored parity less than 60 seconds later.

But the introduction of Lionel Messi for the second half transformed the game and he claimed a hat-trick, with Samuel Eto'o also on the scoresheet.

Hibernian boss Mixu Paatelainen admitted his own side's 6-0 thrashing at the hands of the Catalan giants on Thursday night had been painful to watch.

But Wilkie believes Saturday's clash at Tannadice was a worthwhile exercise with the new SPL season now just a couple of weeks away.

"We kept the ball reasonably well and were giving them problems," he said.

"To go a goal up was great but it was disappointing to concede the equaliser so soon. We lost a slack couple of goals.

"The first half was positive while the second wasn't so good but we will learn from that.

"We felt it was important to begin well and we wanted to have a good 15 to 20 minutes. If we had started losing goals at that stage it would have been a struggle so we were doing well.

"But we tired in the second half and with the likes of Messi in that kind of form it was always going to be difficult.

"Still it was a great experience playing one of the best teams in the world and I'm sure the fans enjoyed the occasion too."

As far as Wilkie is concerned, Messi was not just a class apart from the United players, he was also a stand out among his own team-mates.

He added: "Just seeing Messi in the flesh makes you appreciate what a wonderful player he is.

"He is one of the best I have ever seen or played against. His composure and confidence were just amazing.

"He was on a different level to anyone else on the pitch, including the Barca team.

"Not many players can perform like that that and he is easily one of the best in the world.

"He is the total package and that is the difference."

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