Dembele returns to training with Barcelona
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele took a step closer to a first-team return on Wednesday as he took part in his first rondos since undergoing surgery.
The former Borussia Dortmund man surprised many last month when he declared that he would be back with the squad in 'two weeks', but he has been true to his word after joining the first team for their warm-up exercises as Ernesto Valverde put on a recovery session for the players involved in yesterday's 2-0 Champions League win over Sporting Lisbon.
During the session, Dembele took part in his first rondos (a keep-ball exercise where players form a circle and attempt to keep the ball off one or more defenders) since suffering a hamstring injury against Getafe back in September.
Following the rondos, Dembele went off to train on his own, following a personalised training plan formulated with the aim of getting him back on the pitch as soon as possible.
Rafinha and Javier Mascherano also joined Dembele to conduct their own individual recovery work.
The news will come as a huge boost for Barca, with Dembele barely having chance to show his worth before suffering the injury.