Diario AS report that Ousmane Dembele has been sent home by Barcelona's medical staff after arriving at the training centre Ciutat Esportiva with a fever. It is unclear now if he will make the squad for the upcoming El Clasico. The Frenchman was in the final stage of recovering from an ankle injury but the current illness might rule him out of the Copa del Rey game as he is likely to need 3-4 days to get fully fit.
Despite the understandable disappointment, Barcelona fans could still note the positive change in Dembele's behaviour. It is worth reminding that in November 2018 Ousmane allegedly had a stomach ache and decided to stay at home without communicating the problem to the club. Such irresponsible behaviour combined with a couple of occasions when the player was late for training has resulted in a full-scale scandal fuelled by the Catalan media.
Apparently, the young winger has learned from his mistakes and changed his attitude. Dembele continues improving his self-confidence and keeps delivering for the Catalans. The disappointing injury has sadly disrupted his run which includes 13 goals in all competitions since the start of the 2018/2019 campaign.
The 21-year-old has recently earned some praise from his more experienced teammate compatriot Samuel Umtiti who said: "He's a very good player and gives us a lot of quality, he's f***ing playing right now!" These words came at Mundo Deportivo Gala and the French centre-back had to apologise for getting too emotional when describing his friend Ousmane.