Ousmane Dembele Barcelona 2019Getty Images

'The club was right to fine him' - Ter Stegen weighs in on Dembele's Barca conduct

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has defended the club's decision to fine Ousmane Dembele after reports of the winger's recent misconduct.

The France international has endured a frustrating spell at Camp Nou since his switch from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, finding himself in and out of the starting XI and only managing to show glimpses of his unique talent.

Much of his time in Spain so far has been overshadowed by disciplinary issues, with Barca reportedly issuing a hefty fine to Dembele after he was apparently late in attending various training sessions and club events last year.

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And Blaugrana shot-stopper Ter Stegen has weighed in on the 21-year-old's situation at Camp Nou, telling  Sport Bild : "The club has quite rightly reacted [to give Dembele a fine].

"Ous is still young and will learn from it. Basically, I have to say that I like that not all guys are the same in football, otherwise it would be boring.

"He is a talented footballer who will help us. He is not a complicated guy and is absolutely fine. It is also up to us experienced players to push him a bit in the right direction. The rest has to come from himself."

Dembele's performances on the pitch have improved since coming back after the winter break and he hit a brilliant opening goal during Barca's most recent 3-1 La Liga victory against Leganes .

The Frenchman has contributed 12 goals and four assists in 26 matches across all competitions so far this season and he finally seems to be hitting his stride, linking up well with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the attack .

Next up for Barca is a huge Copa del Rey quarter-final clash against Sevilla on Wednesday evening, but Dembele will play no part in the match after sustaining an injury against Leganes.

The forward suffered an ankle tear and has been ruled out of action for two weeks , bringing a swift halt to recent progress.

He is now expected to miss the second-leg against Sevilla, along with La Liga encounters against Girona and Valencia.

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