Although Barcelona remain on course for a successful season this year, things haven’t gone to plan for one star name in particular so far this campaign.
Having made just 10 appearances so far this season, it’s been a struggle for Ousmane Dembele to live up to his price-tag, which could total £135.5m, as per BBC Sport, after his switch last summer to join the Catalan giants.
SEE MORE: PSG line up astonishing Barcelona swap deal transfer to appease Neymar
The 20-year-old has managed just four assists and no goals in his time on the pitch, although injuries have played a massive part in his woes as he has been sidelined for a significant period of the season.
However, Don Balon, as re-reported by The Express, claim that a nervousness and the pressure of playing alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez has also limited him and knocked his confidence to do more.
It seems like a pretty weak excuse in truth, as the French international can’t afford to allow that to restrict him, as he’s ultimately got a great chance so early in his career to flourish at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Admittedly, it would likely be nerve-racking to play to a higher standard given the level that the likes of Messi and Iniesta set, but having had over six months to settle at the Nou Camp, Dembele can’t afford to allow it to hold him back any longer, if that is indeed a genuine factor in his problems this season.
The former Borussia Dortmund starlet will surely have to impress between now and the end of the season in order to ensure that he is given a second campaign to find his feet and prove why Barcelona invested so heavily in him.