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Ousmane Dembele has returned to fitness for Barcelona this season and has been in good form for the Catalan giants. The Frenchman has five goals and three assists and is becoming a regular in the starting XI.
The 23-year-old has started Barcelona’s last three games in a row and is expected to continue in the team against Real Sociedad on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup.
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Dembele Impresses For Barcelona
Dembele appears to have earned coach Ronald Koeman’s trust but also seems to have impressed his team-mates. According to Mundo Deportivo’s Xavier Bosch, some of the Barcelona players have been left amazed by his performances in training.
Bosch reports that a former Barcelona B player, who has since left the club, was asked about what is was like to train with the first-team squad. The unnamed player described Lionel Messi as a “phenomenon” but said that seeing Dembele with the ball felt like he was “hallucinating” because of his speed and unpredictability.
Barca brought in five new players in the summer, Miralem Pjanic, Sergino Dest, Matheus Fernandes, Francisco Trincao and Pedri, and the report also claims that one of the new-boys has also been talking about Dembele.
The new signing told a friend that what had impressed him most about training with Barcelona was the sight of Dembele with the ball at his feet and that “he had never seen anything like it.”
Barcelona Show Off Dembele
Barca have been happy to show off Dembele’s explosive speed and finishing ability at the Ciutat Esportiva this season. The Frenchman’s return has been a welcome boost after he spent the majority of last season sidelined with injury.
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@Dembouz
Coach Ronald Koeman has also taken time out to praise Dembele. He spoke about the youngster at his news conference ahead of Saturday’s impressive 4-0 win over Granada in La Liga.
He’s been here many years and has had a lot of bad luck with injuries. It’s been tough because he recovered and then got injured again and hasn’t spent time just playing. It’s tough for a player to be at their level in those conditions.
I see him good physically, he’s happy, he’s got confidence, I like him as a player, he has different things to Griezmann, Trincao or Leo. He’s excellent in one-on-one situations and can play with both feet. I hope he continues to play up to his level but especially that he’s going to be in good shape and fit to play a lot of games.
Yet despite all the positivity, there are still doubts over Dembele’s future at Barcelona after this season. The forward is out of contract in 2022 and yet to extend his current deal, meaning the club may decide to sell if any offer arrives in the summer.
Dembele could still decide to renew at the Camp Nou in the coming months, but any decisions will have to wait until after a new president is installed. Elections are currently scheduled to take place on January 24.