
Have you seen Ousmane Dembele lately? We have too
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 25.03.21. | 19:39
Dembele is taking advantage of Ansu Fati and Coutinho struggling with injuries
If you'd have said Ronald Koeman would be the coach to unlock the best version of Ousmane Dembele at Barcelona back in August, nobody would have believed you, yet that is exactly what has happened in the current season.
Depending on which reports you believe, Dembele could have been very close to leaving Barcelona for Manchester United on the transfer deadline, as Koeman pushed for Memphis Depay's arrival, yet since that moment the French international has become a key figure for the Dutch coach.
Of course, a long-term injury to Ansu Fati and the constant injury cycle Coutinho has fallen in handed Dembele his chance to wake up and come back, and finally he has taken it and left behind all the talk of poor professionalism which had left him teetering on the club's proverbial exit door.
Dembele has grown physically and mentally over the course of this season and is now seen as the priority choice, even ahead of Antoine Griezmann, in Koeman's attack.
Over the course of the current campaign, where he has made 35 appearances in all competitions, Dembele has impressed enough to earn an international recall, allowing fans to dream of the Kylian Mbappe-Dembele axis, which ripped England to shreds in June 2017, being reunited at Euro 2020.
A muscular injury kept him out of action for four matches earlier in the season, but in previous years where that would have turned into a 6-12-week layoff with complications, Dembele returned quickly this time, not allowing his time on the pitch to be diminished.
Across all competitions, Dembele has scored nine goals and contributed four assists, and the reality is that he is getting better all the time.
"Honestly, in 2017 I was very weak, now I have changed physically and I feel better prepared for matches," Dembele explained in an interview with Telefoot.
"Everything has changed. Now I feel good about myself, even though I have struggled with all these physical problems for three years."
Ousmane Dembele's ability to be equally good at finishing with each of his feet is a virtue that makes him unique in football. In fact, the Frenchman has scored a total of 28 goals since his arrival at Barcelona back in 2017, having netted half of them with his right foot and the same number of goals with his left.
Above mentioned Ansu Fati has suffered yet another setback in his recovery. The youngster's comeback isn't going as planned, and there are now fears that he could miss the remainder of the season.
Catalunya Radio and Marca have reported that Fati might have to undergo surgery again, as his meniscus isn't healing as everyone in the club hoped. A decision will be made over the coming days after a number of tests have been carried out.
The player initially underwent surgery on November 9th after suffering an injury against Real Betis, but the plan was for him to return to face Paris Saint-Germain on March 10th. In February, though, he received more treatment.
And it is not going smoothly for another Barcelona's option in attack - Coutinho. The Brazilian has undergone surgery again and Esports3 reports that he returned to the operating room due to a cyst in the knee that he had damaged against Eibar.




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