Quique Setien Says Ousmane Dembele Return Can Make Up for Failed Striker Search

Barcelona boss Quique Setien has backed Ousmane Dembele to make up for the club's failure to bring in a striker in January when he returns from injury. 

The club will be without Luis Suarez until May after he had knee surgery, but Dembele returned to training this week having been absent since November with a hamstring injury.

Per Goal's Tom Webber, Setien said:

"I will be calm. There is a risk of injury, and it cannot be controlled. I am used to working with what I have.

"It was not to be. The market did not give us anything, but we will also recover Dembele.

"He is a player who has specific attributes, and I think he can give us a lot. He feels comfortable out wide, and we will try to take advantage of that.

"I'm sure he will give us a lot with the potential he has and will demonstrate the great player he is. Dembele is going to be amazing."

Per ESPN's Samuel Marsden, Barcelona director Guillermo Amor confirmed on Thursday the club would not be bringing in a short-term replacement for Suarez before the window shuts on Friday.

Now 33, Suarez has some mobility issues and isn't quite the force he once was, but he remains an incredibly productive player for Barca in the final third. He had returned 14 goals and 11 assists in just 23 appearances this season, so his absence for the second half of the campaign is a significant blow.

Setien will be looking to Antoine Griezmann and Dembele to share the attacking and creative burden with Lionel Messi, and the latter's return to the side will enable the former to play through the middle in Suarez's place.

Griezmann hasn't scored in Barca's first three La Liga matches of 2020, but he found the net against former side Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final and bagged a brace against Ibiza in the Copa del Rey third round.

On Thursday, he opened the scoring in a 5-0 win over Leganes in the Copa del Rey last 16 to take his tally for the season to 12 goals:

Dembele will add even more pace in the final third alongside Griezmann and Messi.

Although Barca will have been hoping for more when they invested an initial €105 million (£88 million) in him in 2017, he can make incisive contributions, too, having offered 19 goals and 17 assists in his 74 appearances.

However, relying on him has proved difficult during his time at the Camp Nou because of injuries.

His hamstring issues this season have limited him to just nine appearances, and he's missed a total of 62 matches through injury in his short Barcelona career, so staying fit for the remainder of the campaign will be a challenge for him when he returns.