Ousmane Dembele is a prized asset for Barcelona, asserts Quique Setien
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has finally returned to footballing action after spending nearly ten weeks out due to injuries. Quique Setien has been optimistic about his return and is hopeful that Dembele can provide the venom in the attack and help Barca be more clinical in the final third.
Barcelona manager Quique Setien has welcomed Ousmane Dembele back at Nou Camp after the player spent almost ten weeks rehabilitating from his injury. Dembele has had a history with recurring injuries and has spent the majority of his Barcelona career on the sidelines but the 61-year-old manager hopes that his injuries have been put to rest and he can finally have an extended run in the team.
Barcelona also discovered that Luis Suarez will be out of action for at least three months and wanted to sign a replacement for the Uruguayan. However, despite being linked to Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Rodrigo and Dusan Tadic, the Blaugrana have failed to land in a replacement. Setien isn’t fazed by Barca’s failure to sign a short term replacement this window and insists that Dembele’s addition will help the team.
“I will be calm. There is a risk of injury and it cannot be controlled. I am used to working with what I have. It was not to be. The market did not give us anything, but we will also recover Dembele. He is a player who has specific attributes and I think he can give us a lot. He feels comfortable out wide and we will try to take advantage of that. I'm sure he will give us a lot with the potential he has and will demonstrate the great player he is. Dembele is going to be amazing,” said Setien to Goal.
Barca's win over Leganes saw them bounce back strongly from Setien's first defeat, a 2-0 loss to Valencia on Saturday that saw them fall three points behind Real Madrid in the title race at La Liga. The former Real Betis coach was optimistic about Barcelona’s performance but accepted that still a lot of work has to be done.
“We did very well in the first 20 to 25 minutes. It's true they could have hurt us, but we did many things well. However, I am not entirely satisfied. We scored but we lost control of the game and gave them a lot of life when we had to control the game,” concluded the 61-year-old.