Former Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta says Ousmane Dembele is worth persisting with.

The Vissel Kobe star leapt to the Frenchman's defence albeit with a caveat that he needs to bring his A-game.

"Dembele is a great player," he said to Catalunya Radio.

"I don't know what's going on inside his head, but he has to try to do everything to look for his best performance.

"It's all he has to do to make himself feel important, there can be no doubt about that, and so he should make every effort."