Ousmane Dembele needs time to return to his usual self before reporting back for national duty, asserts Didier Deschamps.
Ousmane Dembele joined FC Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund on a big-money move in the summer of 2017 with high expectations, but his time in Spain has been plagued with injuries.
The forward missed 27 games in total during his first season at Camp Nou due to various fitness issues, and his trend of a prolonged period on the sidelines continued in the next two seasons.
He returned to action last month after almost a year on the treatment table due to a hamstring injury.
It appears the 23-year-old has found his feet as he has had a run of seven games so far, contributing two goals and one assist in the process.
Despite his good form, the Frenchman was nowhere to be found on his nation’s 26-man squad list for the upcoming matches against Finland, Portugal, and Sweden.
“Does he still have a chance? Yes, of course, Dembele is coming back from a major injury. We must give him time,” Les Bleus head coach Didier Deschamps told explaining Dembele’s omission, via Goal.
“We must give him time. I know what he is capable of. He had physical problems, but now it is up to him to find his full potential.”
Dembele has played 81 times for the Barcelona first-team in his three years at the club while scoring 21 goals and laying 17 assists.
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