Fernandes: Dembele something special

Posted Monday, April 18, 2016 by Foxsports.com

Ousmane Dembele is as good a young player as Gelson Fernandes has seen, with the Rennes midfielder urging his club to protect the teenager.

Fernandes heaped praise on the 18-year-old in an interview with French Newspaper Le Figaro, saying it is the responsibility of both club management and players to ensure he reaches his full potential.

"I have never seen such a phenomenon at that age," the Switzerland international said, "He is a very talented player and he has great potential that the club needs to protect. We, the players, also have to protect it. We are aware we have a jewel in our ranks. We're glad he is with us."

Dembele has had a remarkable introduction to first-team football, scoring an astonishing 12 goals and racking up five assists in a mere 21 appearances, 17 of which he was in the starting XI.

"He is a player who will inevitably have a lot of stress," Fernandes tadded. "The only advice I can give him is to put intensity into his training and to be rigorous in his match preparations and in his profession. Football is truly a profession, you cannot simply come to training and kick a ball around.

"Ousmane still has that carefree youth. He must guard this for as long as possible. For everything else, his talent will make the difference."