Ousmane Dembele's troubled spell at Barcelona grows more turbulent still as the Frenchman has been dropped from this weekend's squad for the La Liga clash with Real Betis.
Dembele has yet to settle at Barca, and he this week angered the club over a non-appearance at training over a bout of gastroenteritis.
Having not shown up at training, it took an hour and a half before he answered a call from the coaching staff to explain that he was staying at home owing to illness.
Marca report that this isn't an isolated incident: he has been consistently late for training since joining from Borussia Dortmund at the start of last season, and has not kept to the kind of rigorous diet Barca expect of their top players. They also report that he has failed to settle and meet the daily standards expected of elite footballers.
Dembele has been left out of the squad for tomorrow's game with Betis, although Barca manager Ernesto Valverde says that it isn't a punishment.
It is not a punishment. Everyone can interpret it as they wish. The talent that Dembele has is difficult to find and we have to help him take advantage of it. We want the best from every player in our team. Dembele has incredible talent and we want to help him show it some day.
In better news for Barca: Leo Messi is back from injury.
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