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Barcelona news: Ousmane Dembele will NOT listen to Gerard Pique or Luis Suarez - big claim
BARCELONA star Ousmane Dembele is not thinking clearly and will NOT listen to the advice of his senior team-mates.
Barcelona: ESPN pundit discusses problematic Dembele
That is according to ESPN FC pundit and former Liverpool and Scotland defender Steve Nicol.
Dembele has hit the headlines of late with regards to his ill-discipline at Barcelona.
The France international reportedly missed a training session earlier this month, amid claims he was awake the whole previous night playing video games.
Dembele was punished by being left out of the La Liga clash against Real Betis on November 10.
Is he actually going to take in the good advice he’s getting from the older pros? I’m not so sure he will
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique defended Dembele at the time but also asked him to learn from his mistakes and improve.
"It's the coach's decision [not to call him up]," Pique said.
“He has a lot of talent and a lot of room to improve. If the coach doesn't call him up, it's to help him improve.
“We're all here to help him. We've all been young like him, we've all made mistakes like him.
"From experience, you have to teach [the young players] that football lasts for all 24 hours of the day -- you have to live it from the first minute until the last.
“I am sure he knows that and that he will keep improving with time."
Star striker Luis Suarez also weighed into the conversation earlier this week.
"I think being a footballer is a privilege,” Suarez said.
"I think [Dembele] should focus on football, and take inspiration from the exemplary professionals in the Barcelona dressing room."
Nicol: Training absence is last straw for Dembele at Barcelona
But upon reading those quotes, Nicol does not think Dembele will take notice of Pique and Suarez.
“The problem is, he’s got himself in this situation because he’s not thinking clearly,” he said.
“So is he actually going to take in the good advice he’s getting from the older pros?
“I’m not so sure he will.”
Dembele has made 38 appearances in total for Barcelona, scoring 10 goals.