Steve Nicol has cautioned Liverpool not to pursue a summer transfer for Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele, who has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons.
Out of Borussia Dortmund, Ousmane Dembele has become a ghost of the guy that tortured defences during his time there. His success for the German club elevated him to the top of the European young players’ rankings, and Barcelona, flush with cash after the sale of Neymar, chose to spend the whole $110m transfer fee on the Frenchman alone.
Since coming to Barcelona, he has been sidelined with injuries, and he has missed more than 600 days of play in that time. The result of his vicious injury cycle has been that he has had to spend more time on the treatment table while not being able to play a regular number of games.
The transfer saga that has been all over the news for quite some time with Liverpool looking to sign this Barcelona star too
Dembele was anticipated to be a star for Barcelona this past summer, after the departure of Lionel Messi, despite the fact that he was being treated for a long-term ailment at the time.
It was thought that the winger would return stronger and make his impact on the team at long last. After making his return against Dynamo Kyiv, he has been ruled out for the second time due to a fitness issue.
The most recent ailment will keep him out for some time, and with his contract ending in the summer, there has been speculation about a possible transfer away from the club he now represents. Liverpool, who are in the market for a wide attacking player, has been linked with a move for the Frenchman, who will be available on a free transfer once the current season ends.
Steve Nicol, a former Liverpool player, has advised the club to steer away from the injury-prone star and search elsewhere for the quality they need for the future. The ESPN Pundit’s remarks were published in Liverpool Echo, in which he questioned Dembele’s professional devotion in light of the many ailments that have plagued his progress.
“In his day, he can be deadly, In this case, what days are we talking about? I can’t recall a single day. This is a complete flop,” the Liverpool icon said.
“I believe he has done virtually nothing since he returned to Barcelona. So why would you provide this man with a contract for millions of dollars when you could award it to someone else who seems to be a better professional and who appears to really care about the outcome?
‘Because he gives the sense to me that he is not a great professional, and he doesn’t really seem to care,” he explained.
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The situation of Ousmane Dembele currently
Barcelona will be without Ousmane Dembele for many weeks, according to reports, after the French striker suffered a hamstring injury in training.
Neither the Catalans nor Diario AS have verified how much time Dembele would miss, but the newspaper believes it will be “three to four weeks.”
This is yet another setback for Dembele, however, there is some good news in that he will have the international break to heal and should not miss too many games as a result of his current setback.
The 24-year-old will not take part in the match against Celta Vigo on Saturday. He may not be available for the visit of Espanyol on November 20 after the international break.
Barcelona announced Dembele’s absence from the squad on Thursday with a tweet that was later removed due to a “technical issue.”
On Thursday, Dembele was sighted at training, which implies that he sustained the injury during the session and not after coming on as a substitute in the Champions League victory over Dynamo Kyiv.
