Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain’s 28-year-old striker, suffered a muscle injury during Equipe de France’s 5-4 defeat by Spain in the semi-finals of the Nations League. He has been forced to withdraw from Sunday’s “petite finale” against Germany, and further details are awaited. L’Equipe reports that the absence is likely to last several weeks.
“Ousmane Dembélé’s absence is estimated at between two and three weeks. The Paris striker is due to undergo further tests this Saturday. He has already been ruled out of PSG’s first match at the Club World Cup, against Atlético de Madrid in Los Angeles on Sunday June 15. The striker is highly doubtful for the second match, against Botafogo on Friday June 20.”
We were hoping for a simple minor scare with a return in a few days, as Dembélé already experienced around the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal. But this time, the discomfort seems to be a little more serious.
Be careful though, as we’ve seen enough in recent years that the media have trouble being precise about the duration of an injury. With a muscular problem, a few weeks can quickly be necessary. But we need to wait for the tests to be sure.
There’s still the hope of a rapid return, as well as the small worry of something more serious. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, while regretting that he was called up to the French national team so quickly (and without coming out early) after the Champions League final.
