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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has asked fans to stop booing Ousmane Dembele. His request came after the forward was met with jeers at Camp Nou during Sunday's game against Atletico Madrid.
The Frenchman returned to the Barcelona squad after a three-week absence caused by his contract dispute with the club. He has not featured for the side since their 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup on January 12th.
The 24-year-old was named on the bench for Sunday's game and remained an unused substitute until the final whistle. Nevertheless, the home crowd callously heckled him when his name was called out by the public announcer before the match.
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During the post-match conference, Xavi expressed his disappointment at the fans' attitude towards Dembele and asked them to show him more support in the future:
"The fans were 10 of 10 and the support was brilliant throughout the game. But I would like them to support Ousmane, too. I'd ask them to stop booing him. The idea was for him to come on, but I decided on other things because of the red card and the way the game went."
Barcelona ended up beating Atletico Madrid 4-2 after a scorching contest, thanks to goals from Jordi Alba, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Dani Alves.
The victory takes the Blaugrana to fourth place in the La Liga standings, two points ahead of Los Rojiblancos.
Ousmane Dembele's situation at Barcelona
Ousmane Dembele is currently in the final year of his contract with Barcelona. However, he is yet to sign an extension. This means he could possibly leave the club at the end of the campaign.
Due to the player's reluctance to pen a new deal, the Catalan giants tried to sell him in the final days of the January transfer window. However, a move didn't materialize, and he is now expected to leave the club in the summer as a free agent.
Dembele has made 11 appearances for the Blaugrana across all competitions this season, scoring one goal and providing two assists.
