Paris Saint-Germain face a double setback following the international break. Ousmane Dembélé (28), who came off injured against Ukraine, has suffered a severe hamstring injury in his right leg and will be sidelined for around six weeks. Désiré Doué (20), also injured in the same game, has sustained a calf problem and is expected to be out for four weeks, according to the club’s official medical update.
Official statement:
- “Ousmane Dembélé, who was injured during the Ukraine–France match on Friday, has suffered a severe right hamstring injury. His expected recovery time is around six weeks.
- Désiré Doué, also injured during the same match, has sustained a right calf injury and is expected to be unavailable for approximately four weeks.”
These are unfortunate setbacks, but PSG have the resources to keep progressing. Injuries are part of football—sometimes players go down, other times new ones step up. Last season, Warren Zaïre-Emery was a starter before his injury, which allowed Fabian Ruiz to step forward and grow into the team.
It’s certainly not ideal to lose two players of this caliber, but this is where PSG’s strategy of working with a streamlined squad will be tested. Luis Enrique has often emphasized anticipating injuries, and now we’ll see a PSG side with different strengths and weaknesses. The hope is that both players recover quickly.