Ousmane Dembele is going to help us for sure until end of season, asserts Xavi Hernandez

With no move for Ousmane Dembele taking place during the January transfer window, many expected the 24-year-old to be frozen out by Barcelona. However, while he was placed in exile during the winter transfer window, the forward made his first appearance in over a month during a 2-2 draw against Espanyol recently. But reports have indicated that Dembele’s contract situation is still up in the air and alongside that his future, with less than five months left on his current deal.

However, despite the forward reportedly rejecting the extension offered by Barcelona, Xavi has continued to use the Frenchman and even revealed that he could be in line for a start. The Barcelona boss admitted that they haven’t ruled out anything although confessed that whether he starts or not depends on how he trains. The Spaniard also added that Dembele will play when they need him and believes that he can help their efforts this season.

"We don't rule out that he can play at home or away. Whether he plays or not depends only on how the players train and who is better or worse. He can play. He already did it against Espanyol and he helped us a lot for 20 minutes," Xavi said, reported Goal.

"He is going to help us for sure until the end of the season because he is a great player. He is one of the squad and he will play when we need him and when we believe he can help us compete and win."