Ousmane Dembele Teased by Barcelona’s ‘New Pogba’ In Training

Ousmane Dembele

Getty

Ousmane Dembele has been working hard in Barcelona training ahead of the new La Liga season but that has not stopped the 23-year-old being teased by one of his younger team-mates.

New manager Ronald Koeman has called 17-year-old midfielder llaix Moriba up to first-team training ahead of the new season, and the youngster seemed to enjoy his clash with Dembele on the training ground.

Dembele is finally back to full fitness after another injury-plagued season that saw him manage just nine appearances for Barcelona in all competitions. His last outing came back in November 2019 in the group stages of the Champions League.

Follow the Heavy on Barcelona Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!


Who Is Ilaix Moriba?

Ilaix Moriba is one of the jewels of Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy. The central midfielder only turned 17 this year but has already impressed enough to make the breakthrough into Francisco Javier García Pimienta’s Barcelona B team.

The midfielder did not take too much time to adjust to the step up either. He scored his first Barca B goal in a 3-2 win over Llagostera back in March.

Moriba’s playing style has already seen him likened to Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, and the youngster is happy with the comparisons, according to Goal’s Ignasi Oliva Gaspart.

“Everyone tells me that I look like Pogba and I must say I like it. But Busquets and Iniesta were the ones who made me play in midfield. My dream is to be with [Lionel] Messi, Busquets and all of them, to see if I have the opportunity to train or play a game.”

The next step for Moriba will be to make the breakthrough into the first team at Camp Nou, and he will be hoping to impress Koeman on the training ground ahead of the new season.


Dembele to Shine in 2020-21?

Meanwhile, Barcelona will be hoping Dembele can shine in 2020-21 and finally put his injury troubles behind him. The Frenchman is fully fit and could feature in upcoming pre-season friendlies against Nastic and Girona.

A fit and firing Dembele would be a huge boost to Barcelona and Koeman ahead of the new La Liga season. The Dutch coach has already told the 23-year-old he’s counting on him for the campaign.

Dembele is now heading into his fourth season at Barcelona which could prove make or break for the forward. There’s no doubting the quality he possesses but there’s still a question mark over whether he can finally stay fit and find his best form on a consistent basis for Barca.

READ NEXT: Bayern Munich Trying to Tempt Barcelona’s ‘New Iniesta’