When Neymar made the shock move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain last summer, the Catalan giants had a tough task in replacing him with someone of the Brazilian's talent.

Ernesto Valverde's side initially made Philippe Coutinho their top target, but despite the Liverpool man handing in a transfer request to try and force through the move, Barcelona were unable to get a deal over the line.

They then turned their attention to Borussia Dortmund wonder-kid Ousmane Dembele, and they were eventually able to secure a deal for the Frenchman worth a mammoth €145million.

After just one season at the Bundesliga outfit, spending that much money on someone with such little experience was always going to be a gamble.

And that has proven to be the case for the 20-year-old. His first seven months have been ravaged by injury, limiting his playing time significantly.

In fact, he is yet to score for the Spanish giants since signing the club, and has made just 11 appearances.

PIQUE HAS HELPED DEMBELE

Dembele has reportedly been feeling down during his time in Catalonia. 

At just 20-years-old, the former Rennes youngster must be finding it extremely daunting having moved to one of the world's biggest clubs for such a hefty fee.

On top of that, he does not speak a word of Spanish, and the pressure created by the fans and the media has allegedly made the winger feel very anxious at his new club.

However, according to L'Equipe, per Sport, one of the squad's most influential players, Gerard Pique, has done his utmost best to help Dembele fit into the squad.

Despite not being club captain, Pique has gone out of his way to become even closer to Dembele as he tries to help him accustom to life in Spain.

Well done to Pique. It must have been hard for Dembele given what he's gone through in the past few months, and the fact the Spaniard has gone out of his way to help him is admirable.

PIQUE'S HELP HAS ALREADY PRODUCED RESULTS

After returning from injury at the start of January, Dembele has struggled to impose himself in the Barcelona side.

However, buoyed by Pique's help, the Frenchman was handed a start in Barcelona's trip to Malaga on Saturday.

And he repaid Valverde for his faith in him by producing arguably his best performance of the season so far, recording an assist as his side ran out 2-0 winners.

And his manager was pleased with his contribution, stating: "The thing about Dembele is that he always tries, he has a place here.

"He's a player who needs time, he's young and had injuries, there is pressure on him. Today is yet another step forward for him."

Let's hope Dembele continues to thrive under Pique's guidance.