Former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta believes Ousmane Dembele will play a big part in the Catalonian club’s future after hailing him a ‘genius’.
Iniesta played for Barcelona for 16 seasons and was one of their key players for the majority of that time. He thinks that, in Dembele, they have a player that can lead them to similarly great things.
Can Dembele finally come good for Barcelona? Four key things to know…
- Dembele arrived at Barcelona having signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for £90m
- His start at the Nou Camp was severely disrupted by injury, including a hamstring tendon that required surgery.
- This season has seen the Frenchman score 13 times in 31 appearances.
- Andres Iniesta has called him ‘a very special’ player who has become an important figure for Barcelona.
The Frenchman’s start to life in Spain has been turbulent to say the least. Having signed for such a large transfer fee the former Rennes man struggled to deal with the weight of expectation.
He was also extremely unlucky with injuries, a point that was not lost on Iniesta. Dembele was sidelined for over three months due to a torn hamstring tendon which required surgery, hampering his time at the club.
Yet Dembele is now showing signs of the form that led the Spanish giants to spend such a huge amount of cash on the 21-year-old.
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In fact, former Barcelona star, Iniesta, believes his style of play and ‘genius’ has really helped the club so far this season.
“He is a very special player who can decide a game on his own. Ousmane has so much witty playfulness, speed and determination,” the Spaniard told Goal.
“He helps Barca with his genius. He’s also been scoring very regularly this season. It is a pity that his injury has thrown him back a little bit lately.”
This season the Frenchman has netted 13 goals in 31 appearances, his best return by far since signing for the La Liga outfit.
A recent ankle injury forced the player to miss five games but Iniesta has seen enough to be convinced he will be a hugely important asset to the Catalonian club.
“In the coming years he can become a very, very important player for Barca,” Iniesta insisted.
Have Barcelona found a replacement for Iniesta?
When a player of such importance leaves a club there is, naturally, concern about who can replace him.
Arthur's passing accuracy for Barcelona when starting in LaLiga and the Champions League:
95.2% vs. Girona
91.4% vs. Spurs
95.1% vs. Valencia
97.3% vs. Sevilla
94.3% vs. Inter Milan
94.0% vs. Real Madrid— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 29, 2018
When Iniesta left Barcelona the men in charge quickly swooped to sign, Brazilian, Arthur from Gremio. The 22-year-old cost the Spanish giants around £36m but Iniesta thinks he can become the man to fill his shoes at the Nou Camp.
He said: “Definitely [he can replace me]. He has a strong personality and he always knows what he has to do with the ball.
“But he is young and still needs some time to get used to the team and to fully establish his playing style.
“I think that Barca will have a lot of fun with him.”
Arthur has made 10 league starts this season and Barcelona, looking to continue their recent dominance of Spain, face Real Madrid in the second-leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday with the tie level 1-1 after the first leg on February 6.
The post Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele hailed as a “genius” by Andres Iniesta appeared first on Squawka News.
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