Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has insisted that Phillipe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele will have important roles to play Camp Nou, backing both players to succeed.
Barça committed over €300m on deals to sign Coutinho and Dembele from Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund respectively, but neither player has managed to justify their enormous fee.
Coutinho was limited to just 14 appearances in all competitions last season because of a long-term knee injury suffered in December that later required surgery in April.
Having previously been loaned out to Bayern Munich, he was linked with another throughout the summer but no clubs came forward and he has remained at Camp Nou. He is yet to play so far this season as he regains fitness, but Koeman has faith he will rediscover his form.
“Still today, I am one hundred percent convinced that [Coutinho] is a player with the level to succeed at Barça,” the coach told SPORT.
“I like him a lot. The last injury was a very strong blow for him and he has to recover well both physically and mentally to come back stronger than ever.”
Dembele has been in a similar situation. The Frenchman got injured at Euro 2020 and underwent surgery on his right knee almost immediately, with an expected return of late October.
The winger’s Barça career to date has largely been characterised by a frustrating string of injury setbacks, but Koeman hopes he will sign a new contract as his existing deal expires next summer.
“First, that he renews his contract, because it is his last year and for the club it is important that he renews,” Koeman explained when asked about the 24-year-old’s future.
“Dembele is a very, very good player if he is physically well. He has a great one-on-one and a lot of speed and can play on both wings. When he recovers, he will be a vital footballer for the team.”
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This article was originally published on 90min as Ronald Koeman confirms Barcelona plans for Philippe Coutinho & Ousmane Dembele.
Source: www.90min.com