‘If I had to choose, I would not change Dembele for Neymar’: Robert Pires insists he wouldn’t swap Frenchman for PSG star in Barcelona side
- Robert Pires says he would not swap Ousmane Dembele out for Neymar
- The Frenchman feels Barcelona are better placed sticking with the youngster
- Neymar has been heavily linked with a return to Barcelona in the summer
Robert Pires insists he would not trade Ousmane Dembele for Neymar in the current Barcelona squad.
Talented Frenchman Dembele has split opinion on and off the field since he joined the Catalan giants from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017.
Barcelona have been said to retain an interest in bringing Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar back to the club but for Pires, he feels the club are better off with 21-year-old Dembele.
Barcelona are right to stick with Ousmane Dembele, says ex-Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires
The Frenchman says he would not change Dembele for Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar
Pires gave his thoughts on his French compatriot after an impressive performance on Tuesday
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Pires said: ‘We always talk about (Lionel) Messi, but this guy is very good.
‘He’s young but what he does we all did as kids. What you must do is self-impose discipline in your life, but he is young and with his quality and talent, he can help Barca to win the Champions League and also the league, as we have seen against Tottenham and Espanyol with great goals.
‘If I had to choose, I would not change Dembele for Neymar. Ousmane is 21, plays with the left and the right [foot] with a lot of quality with the ball. He has a lot of potential, more than what we’ve seen so far.’
Dembele has had troubles with discipline and injuries but impressed against Tottenham
He was recently fined £90,000 for turning up to training late but is working hard on the pitch
Ill-discipline off the field has been the biggest issue on Dembele’s report card since swapping the Bundesliga for La Liga.
The Frenchman was fined £90,000 for turning up two hours to training.
Yet Dembele has impressed in recent games, scoring in each of his two most recent outings against Espanyol and Tottenham.
That took his season tally to nine – seven less than Neymar who is in fine form already this season for high-flying PSG.
Both Barcelona and PSG are gunning for glory in the Champions League this season but cannot meet each other in the last 16 after both topped their respective groups.
Neymar left Barcelona to join PSG for £198m but has been heavily linked with a swift return
