Ousmane Dembélé sees the end of the tunnel. Victim of a tear in the right thigh against Dortmund in the Champions League (3-1) in late November, the world champion striker resumed training in Barcelona on Monday.
For now, the Frenchman, who has spent more than a month in Doha, Qatar, for treatment, is training away from the group led by Quique Setién the successor of Ernesto Valverde. The Catalan club, current La Liga leader, hopes to be able to integrate the former Rennes for the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League against Naples on February 25.
What's up, Ousmane! 👊 pic.twitter.com/ctuzK98JsS
- FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 20, 2020Intermittent of the show
Transferred to Barça in 2017 for 105 million euros (plus 40 bonus), Dembélé is, for the time being, confined to the rank of intermittent of the show in Catalonia. Capable of lightning, certainly, but too often to absent subscribers. The numbers snap and press where it hurts. Since signing, he has participated in 74 of Barça's 133 games in all competitions. This season, he scored just one goal.
This is the sixth time that Dembélé has injured his hamstrings since his rupture of the tendon of the femoral biceps of the left thigh, in September 2017. In order to hope to be among the 23 players selected for Euro 2020 (June 12- July 12), he will have to work hard and, above all, hope to be spared from injuries.
The Barça locker room has already publicly criticized his professionalism, like Gerard Piqué or Luis Suarez last year. It must be said that between delays in training (or in matches) and irregular sports performances, the list of grievances at his address is long.
