Ousmane Dembele injury: Barcelona star suffers 'complete proximal hamstring tear'

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Tom Doyle4 February 2020

Ousmane Dembele faces yet another lengthy spell on the sidelines after Barcelona confirmed the forward has suffered a torn hamstring.

Dembele, 22, has been out since November with a hamstring injury, and suffered further discomfort in his right leg during training on Monday morning.

Barcelona confirmed on Monday evening that the winger's issue was a consequence of muscle fatigue and his injury would be assessed - and the Spanish champions have now announced that tests showed a "complete proximal hamstring tear in his right thigh."

It is likely that Dembele will require surgery, though Barca clarified in their statement: "In the next few hours a decision will be made on the treatment to be followed for his recovery."

No timeframe has been given for Dembele's return, but should he undergo an operation, Dembele could be out for the rest of the season - and potentially miss Euro 2020 with France as a result.

The timing is especially cruel given that Dembele had been going through the final stages of his recovery after returning to full first-team training.

Dembele has had a torrid time with injuries since joining Barca from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth up to €145million in 2017, making just 74 appearances in two-and-a-half seasons for the Blaugrana.

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Dembele's setback is a further blow for Barca: the Spanish champions failed to sign a forward in January despite Luis Suarez's knee injury sidelining the Uruguayan for four months.

There remains a possibility that Suarez will not return this season, increasing the pressure on Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and 17-year-old Ansu Fati to lead their title defence.

Barca recently slipped up with a 2-0 defeat at Valencia, with Real Madrid taking advantage to currently lead LaLiga by three points.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

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