AC Milan legend advises Ousmane Dembele to be patient with his finishing

AC Milan legend and coach of the Ukraine national team spoke highly of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele and even gave him some advice ahead of Ukraine’s World Cup qualifying clash with France. Shevchenko’s Ukraine will take on the reigning World Champions on Wednesday for the first of three qualifying matches.

The legendary striker praised 23-year-old Dembele but told the player that he has to work harder when it comes to taking his chances: “Ousmane Dembélé is a very talented young player. He needs to be a little more patient when it comes to finishing. He should take advantage of the opportunities that he has and work a little more.”

Dembele’s finishing has been one of the few flaws in what is otherwise a very explosive playing style. He often gets into great positions but fails to convert easier chances. What’s comical is that he seems to finish the harder chances far more often. This season, Dembele has taken 78 shots for Barcelona, but his conversion rate is merely 11.54 percent.

France coach Didier Deschamps also said exactly the same thing about Dembele, highlighting that he needs to work on his clinicality in front of goal. Dembele has returned to the national team squad for the first time since November of 2018, despite featuring in France’s World Cup winning campaign in Russia that year, albeit not in a starring role.

Shevchenko clearly believes just like Deschamps that the Barcelona winger has immense quality, but he will be hoping that Dembele holds off on taking his advice until after Ukraine’s encounter with Les Bleus.

“I’m in a position where I would prefer him not to score,” said the Ukrainian.