Ousmane Dembele already in Ronald Koeman’s bad books as £136m man ‘turns up to Barcelona training late AGAIN’ after being linked to Manchester United move
- Ousmane Dembele has turned up to Barcelona training late again, Marca reports
- The £136m man has had a tumultuous spell in Catalonia, with a series of injuries
- Spanish reports suggest the Frenchman arrived 15 minutes late on Monday
- It is not the first time the 23-year-old has failed to arrive at training on time
Ousmane Dembele’s disciplinary problems at Barcelona are showing no sign of abating as the Manchester United target turned up late to training once again, to the frustration of new coach Ronald Koeman.
The 23-year-old’s Barcelona career has failed to kickstart since he signed for £136m from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, with a series of injuries as well as disciplinary issues plaguing his spell at the Nou Camp.
And according to Marca, the Frenchman has had off-field problems again after failing to turn up to training on time on Monday morning.
Ousmane Dembele has turned up to Barcelona training late again, according to Marca
The £136m man (R) arrived 15 minutes after the 10am deadline set by boss Ronald Koeman (L)
Dembele reportedly arrived at club’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training complex at 10.15am, 15 minutes after Koeman’s deadline of 10am.
The new Barcelona boss demands respect for deadlines and organisation, and wants his players at the training ground at least an hour before training gets under way.
The latest misdemeanour is unlikely to have gone down well with Koeman, who has favoured Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati and Antoine Griezmann in the early stages of his tenure.
It is the latest of a series of misdemeanours, with Dembele having a track record of late arrivals
Dembele has struggled to win favour with Koeman, and has fallen down the pecking order
It is not the first time that the former Dortmund winger has had issues getting to the training ground on time. During the 2018-19 campaign, Dembele failed to show up to training altogether after oversleeping.
Following that incident, the club placed strict measures on the talented attacker – including banning late night video gaming sessions and ensuring his phone is kept on and not turned on silent.
Dembele was once fined £90,000 in the wake of another late arrival to training, when he turned up two hours after the deadline.
He has been linked with a loan move to Man United, as an alternative to Jadon Sancho
The Frenchman’s fall down the pecking order since Koeman’s arrival has led to speculation that the £136m man’s future may lie elsewhere.
The 23-year-old has been linked with a move to England, with Manchester United identifying him as a possible alternative to Jadon Sancho if the Red Devils fail in their pursuit for the Englishman.
United are reportedly wanting to take the former Dortmund star on an initial season-long loan with an obligation to buy, though no official approach has been made, ESPN claims.
