Robert Pires Says He Wouldn't Trade Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele for Neymar

Ousmane Dembele has endured a rocky start to the season, but France national team legend Robert Pires has said he wouldn't swap the winger for former Blaugrana talisman Neymar.

Dembele, 21, was signed in the summer of 2017 to replace Neymar, 26, following his move to Paris Saint-Germain, but the Frenchman has clashed with Barca figureheads over numerous disciplinary issues.

And after the youngster scored in Barcelona's 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, Pires told Mundo Deportivo (h/t FourFourTwo) he would prefer to have Dembele at the Camp Nou ahead of Neymar:

"I love him [Dembele] very much. We always talk about [Lionel] Messi, but this guy is very good.

"He's young, but what he does we all did as kids. What you must do is self-impose discipline in your life, but he is young, and with his quality and talent, he can help Barca to win the Champions League and also the league, as we have seen against Tottenham [Hotspur] and Espanyol with great goals.

"If I had to choose, I would not change Dembele for Neymar. Ousmane is 21, plays with the left and the right [foot] with a lot of quality with the ball. He has a lot of potential, more than what we've seen so far."

Barca gem Lionel Messi is a rare combination of near-superhuman talent and a grounded personality. Dembele's goal against Tottenham was another hint he at least checks the first of those criteria (U.S. only):

Dembele arrived in Catalonia from Borussia Dortmund at the age of 20, one year younger than Neymar was when he joined the Blaugrana from Santos in 2013.

The 21-year-old scored in Saturday's 4-0 derby triumph over Espanyol but was two hours late for training the next day and consequently fined more than €100,000 (£90,000), per Moises Llorens of AS. 

Dembele now has three goals and two assists in his last five appearances under Ernesto Valverde, although Neymar's recent record at PSG stands at five goals and two assists in his last six appearances.

Lateness has been the major concern throughout Dembele's campaign, but the tensions in Catalonia appear to be fading, and Valverde complimented his star after a recent 2-0 victory over Villarreal, per Goal:

Former Arsenal star Pires may have some bias towards his French compatriot, although 2018 FIFA World Cup-winner Dembele has grounds to be hailed as a prospect potentially capable of surpassing the Brazilian.

Many argued that Neymar had accepted a downgrade by moving to Ligue 1, where the competition is not as fierce, although his attacking displays in Europe suggest otherwise, per WhoScored.com:

PSG poster boy Neymar may be closer to his prime, but Pires sees Dembele's recent pickup in form as a sign that he can prove himself to be the superior talent in the long run.