Dembele recalled by France after more than 2 years away

<p>PARIS &mdash; Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele was recalled to the France squad on Thursday after an absence of more than two years.</p>
<p>Dembele, who helped France win the World Cup in 2018, last played for his country in November of that year against the Netherlands.</p>
<p>The 23-year-old Dembele has struggled with injury problems and inconsistency over the past two years. But he has found his form again to become a key player in Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman’s improving team, scoring eight goals to help the club move up to second place in the Spanish league and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/la-liga-sports-europe-barcelona-fd8d36c73001ec8dd1b93a60debdc684">reach the Copa del Rey final</a>.</p>
<p>France coach Didier Deschamps included Dembele in a 26-man squad for World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina this month.</p>
<p>Dembele has scored two goals in 21 appearances for France, 13 of which have been as a substitute.</p>
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