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The legendary Andriy Shevchenko offers advice to Ousmane Dembélé

His native Ukraine is set to play against Dembélé’s France

Poland v Ukraine - International Friendly Photo by ADAM NURKIEWICZ/Getty Images

Ukraine national team manager Andriy Shevchenko has offered advice to France and FC Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé.

The former AC Milan striker, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2004, was asked by French magazine L’Equipe to offer some encouragement to their young forward.

“I’m in a position where I would rather he didn’t score!”, Shevchenko joked, as his Ukraine is set to take on France in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

But Shevchenko did eventually give some words of advice to Dembélé.

“He is a very talented young player, who 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.”

The match, which will take place on Wednesday at the Stade de France, could feature up to three Barcelona players representing the French team: Clément Lenglet, Antoine Griezmann, and Dembélé.

Dembélé was a part of the team that won the World Cup in 2018, but he was left off Didier Deschamps’s lists for a long time as he struggled with injuries and loss of form.

Now, the Barcelona winger has a chance to show why he truly belongs in the World Cup champions’ squad.

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