Ousmane Dembele starred in Barcelona's win over Leganes on Sunday night He led the attack in the absence of Lionel Messi and had fans chanting his name Dembele has had his troubles off the pitch but now has his career back on track His attitude has improved and he is working harder for team-mates on the pitch Ernesto Valverde will miss Dembele after he picked up an ankle injury on Sunday
Two months ago Barcelona couldn't trust Ousmane Dembele to get out of bed on time for training, yet on Sunday he was trusted with leading the attack in the absence of Lionel Messi. He did it like a player who has what it takes to be the club's post-Messi talisman for years to come.
Barcelona still needed their greatest of all time to climb off the bench and provide an assist and a goal in 25 minutes, but that was in part because Dembele had hobbled off with a twisted ankle.
He had scored the first-half goal that put Barcelona into the lead and bamboozled the Leganes defence with a 45-minute virtuoso display that almost made the Nou Camp forget Messi had been rested.
Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring for Barcelona against Leganes on Sunday night
The Frenchman gave Barca the lead at the Nou Camp and impressed during the first half
When he scored, supporters sang 'Ousmane Dembele' to the tune of La Marseillaise and every time he got the ball there was that volume increase of anticipation that only one other player at the club provokes.
The concerned looks from the bench from Ernesto Valverde as the 21-year-old hobbled around the perimeter after falling badly on his left ankle spoke volumes for how important he has become.
It was not so long ago Valverde was shrugging his shoulders when asked about Dembele's indiscipline – here he was hoping that the injury was not too serious.
Dembele's first-half goal – made and then scored by him from a Jordi Alba pass – was his 13th of the season in the league. It's a new best for him beating the 12 he scored for Rennes in the 2015-16 campaign.
Dembele runs off to celebrate with Luis Suarez during Sunday's game at the Nou Camp
Dembele struggled at the start of the season but has become increasingly important for Barca
The fact that he had connected with Alba was pertinent. Alba, along with Suarez, is Messi's favourite assist provider. Dembele's antennae is now completely tuned into radio Barca – he's on the same wavelength as the other key performers and they will miss him in midweek in the Copa del Rey against Sevilla and probably next Saturday in the league against Girona.
Dembele turned up two hours late for training last month, leaving club officials at a loss to know what to do with their second-biggest signing of all time. It had happened before and they had dropped him from the first-team squad, but that clearly had not changed him.
source;Dailymail.co.uk
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