January 29, (THEWILL) – Barcelona winger, Ousmane Dembele, is expected to miss a string of important games for the club after suffering a strained thigh in their La Liga win over Girona on Saturday.
The French player, who is a key member of the team and described by coach Xavi as Barcelona’s “most important player in one-on-one situations,” may struggle to be back in time for the Europa League play-off first leg against Manchester United, which takes place on February 16th at Camp Nou.
Barcelona have yet to give an official estimate of how long Dembele faces on the sidelines, but local reports have suggested that it may be a three-week absence. The injury took some of the shine off an eighth win in nine La Liga games, in which Dembele’s replacement off the bench, Pedri, scored the only goal. Dembele underwent checks before Barcelona embarked on their short journey home.
La Blaugrana announced on their website: “Tests this evening on Ousmane Dembele have revealed that he has strained the rectus femoris muscle in his left thigh. It means he is sidelined until he can recover from the injury.” Xavi, speaking after the game, said of Dembele’s blow: “It’s a shame because he is an important player.”
Dembele has eight goals and seven assists for Barcelona this season, with those combined 15 goal involvements bettered only by Robert Lewandowski’s 27 (22 goals, five assists) among Xavi’s squad. Barcelona have La Liga games against Real Betis, Sevilla and Villarreal before the United game.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
