Report: Ernesto Valverde Has 'Lost Confidence' in Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has reportedly "lost confidence" in winger Ousmane Dembele, explaining why the France international stayed on the bench during the UEFA Champions League win over Inter Milan on Wednesday.

Dembele was expected to replace the injured Lionel Messi in the starting XI but didn't see any action, as Rafinha started and Munir El Haddadi came on as a substitute. Per Mundo Deportivo (h/t Sport Witness' Naveen Ullal), Valverde didn't even ask the the 21-year-old to warm up.

Rafinha opened the scoring against Inter but had an otherwise forgettable outing. He's now the favourite to start Sunday's crucial Clasico against Real Madrid after it was previously believed Dembele would get the nod.

He is not the only one who was expected to see more minutes with Messi sidelined and didn't against the Nerazzurri:

The talented Dembele replaced Messi after he injured his arm in the first half against Sevilla and struggled tremendously against the in-form Andalusians. The World Cup winner hasn't featured in the UEFA Champions League since the win over PSV Eindhoven in September, which also marked the last match in which he scored.

Since then, he's been in and out of the team. He has yet to start a match in October and barely featured in the draw against Valencia.

Dembele remains a divisive figure in Catalonia. He was linked with a transfer throughout summer, and Mundo Deportivo even suggested Paris Saint-Germain made contact with his agent (h/t Football.London's Rob Guest).

Those rumours were surprising given Barcelona spent an initial £96.8 million on the Frenchman just a year before and his debut season at the Camp Nou was partly ruined by injury.

Dembele enjoyed a solid start to the season and reminded everyone of his immense talent, but his form has dipped tremendously since. His lack of playing time and reports Valverde has lost faith in him are worrying signs for the speedster.

A good display in El Clasico would change the narrative in a heartbeat, but Dembele will need to get the chance to shine first. Right now, he seems unlikely to get the start, but with limited options because of Messi's injury, he could make an appearance off the bench.