Sergio Busquets revealed his delight for Malcom after the 21-year-old scored his first Barcelona goal in a 1-1 draw at Inter.
Malcom was signed for €40million from Bordeaux in the close-season, but he has struggled to make an immediate impact at Camp Nou, finding himself behind the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele in the pecking order.
But with Dembele flagging at San Siro on Tuesday, Malcom was called from the bench in his place and netted less than two minutes later to open the scoring.
Although Barca were pegged back by Mauro Icardi's equaliser, Busquets was pleased for the club's newest star.
"We are very pleased for Malcom," he told Movistar. "He is not getting the minutes he wants but, in training, he works like the rest of the players.
"He is a great guy and he has done very well. He deserves [the goal]."
Despite the late setback, Barca again proved their ability to perform without injured captain Lionel Messi, with stand-in skipper Busquets excited to see this improving side link up without their superstar.
"The whole team has taken a step forward," the Spain international said. "We show that we can do great things even if our best player is not there. When he recovers, we will be even better."
