Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Le Havre v Paris St Germain - Stade Oceane, Le Havre, France - August 16, 2024 Paris St Germain's Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
(Reuters) - Ousmane Dembele has made positive strides in his second season at Paris St Germain, manager Luis Enrique said on Friday while backing the winger to find a more ruthless goal-scoring touch.
The 27-year-old France international has scored nine goals and provided 17 assists in 47 matches for the Parisian side since joining from LaLiga club Barcelona for a reported fee of around 50 million euros ($55.72 million) in August last year.
"Ousmane is like last season, perhaps a little more effective in terms of finishing," Luis Enrique told reporters on the eve of PSG's Ligue 1 match at Stade de Reims.
"But he's always been decisive for us, he has that ability to beat opponents in a unique way. Maybe he needs to work more on his efficiency.
"Last year's version of Dembele was very good and this year's is better and we're working on making it better still."
PSG lost forward Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid in the close-season transfer window but the coach has no complaints about his squad and said they will continue making progress.
"I think we'll have an even better team next year, even if I don't know which players we'll have," Luis Enrique said.
"It's a positive thought that I'm trying to pass on to the club. This year we have a better team than last year."
PSG will be without Marco Asensio for the game against Reims after the Spanish forward suffered a muscle strain in his right thigh.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is also continuing to have treatment after picking up a muscle problem. Striker Goncalo Ramos and defenders Lucas Hernandez and Presnel Kimpembe are still out with injuries.
PSG have had little time to prepare to face Reims, who are sixth in the Ligue 1 standings, after their 1-0 win at home over LaLiga club Girona in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.
"It's the shortest we can have with only two days between each game," the coach said. "The risk after the Champions League is there. We're playing away against a good team but we hope we can manage these circumstances."
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(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
