French striker Ousmane Dembele is close to shaking off a thigh strain and was named in Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona squad on Monday for the Champions League quarter-finals first-leg at Manchester United.

The 21-year-old World Cup winner has excelled on both flanks this season after slow bedding in process at Barcelona but has been on the sidelines since March 16 with a thigh muscle problem.

Valverde said he had chosen the still-struggling winger in his squad for Wednesday’s game because he needed all hands on deck.
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“Dembele is on the list despite not yet being fully fit,” said Valverde, who added that Dembele had taken part in full training on Monday.

Dembele, who scored in Barcelona’s 5-1 victory over Lyon in his last Champions League outing, had originally been expected to miss four weeks.

The former Dortmund and Rennes forward missed Barca’s 2-0 win at Atletico Madrid on Saturday as the club target a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble they achieved in both 2009 and 2015.

Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelan will miss the trip to England with his own thigh issue.

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