Barcelona outcast makes comeback in Catalan derby draw

Dembele came off the bench and played in the final 20 minutes against Espanyol

FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has shown that he is not planning on freezing out Ousmane Dembele despite speculations that the player will remain ostracised until his contract runs out at the end of the season. After a long drawn-out contract saga that bore no fruit, Xavi has decided to use the player while he is still officially with the club.

On Sunday night, Barcelona faced Espanyol in the Catalan derby and Dembele was called in to replace Jordi Alba for the final 20 minutes of the match. At that point, the Blaugrana were trailing 1-2, and Xavi was hoping to make a difference in the attack. True enough, he was able to force an equaliser but it was through Luuk de Jong.

Nevertheless, it was a big move to bring in Dembele despite the debacle that transpired in recent months. Earlier this season, it was believed that it was just a matter of putting pen to paper in order to finalise the Frenchman's contract extension. However, when January came along, talks broke down between the club and the player's agent.

Barcelona officials were convinced that they put forward a good offer, which was not accepted. Neither side wanted to budge until it was decided that Dembele should find another club and move during the January transfer window or be kept in the bench for the rest of the season.

Despite this, club president Joan Laporta was surprised that the player refused to accept offers that were put forward. This led him to believe that Dembele already has some kind of an agreement to join another club on a free transfer in July.

When the transfer window closed, it appeared as though Dembele was destined to another five months without competitive football. He has not played in La Liga since January 8, but Xavi decided to make a U-turn on Sunday. Veteran Dani Alves previously said that he believes the club should use the players that are available, regardless of the contract situation. For now, his longtime friend and former teammate-turned-manager may be heeding his advice.