Ousmane Dembele's 1st Season at Barcelona Is Like a 'Master's Degree' According to Club Legend

Barcelona legend Xavi has claimed that Ousmane Dembele needs to improve mentally if he is to succeed at Camp Nou. The Frenchman arrived into Catalonia for around £135m last summer, but the Barca legend has likened the chance to play at the club to a Master's degree.

Dembele's start in La Liga wasn't exactly what he'd have hoped for. Injury in September kept the 20-year-old out until the turn of the year, but since then he's began to slowly show signs of his real talent.

However, Xavi knows he's not yet anywhere near the finished article, and claims that Dembele must improve his mental ability if her wants to be a hit at Barcelona:

"He will have to learn to think faster, in a few thousandths of a second. This is where we will see if he has the mentality. He must say to himself: 'l am a Barca player.' You have to be mentally strong, to have conviction." Xavi said, via Daily Mail

"He will need some time. Barca is like a final exam for a footballer. It is like Dembele is passing a Master's degree right now because not everyone can play for this club.

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"Why? Because you have to know things three times more than elsewhere. Barca play on barely 30 metres of the pitch.

"Dembele has a lot of talent, he is very fast, but here, he is not going to have the space he had at Dortmund or Rennes. He had more space, so more time there."

At such a young age, Dembele still has plenty of time on his side to get to the Barcelona standard.