Ousmane Dembele needs surgery on his right knee, Barcelona reported on the official website on Tuesday. The diagnosis made during the day shows that the biceps tendon in his right knee is dislocated, requiring medical intervention. The Frenchman will therefore definitively no longer play at the European Championship 2020.
The day before the coverage of Barcelona, the French federation already announced that the attacker would probably no longer play at the European Championship. Dembélé only came in for Adrien Rabiot in the first group match against Germany (1-0 win) a minute before the final whistle. Against Hungary (1-1), the Barcelona attacker made his entrance after an hour of play, but three minutes before the end he had to be changed because of complaints to his knee.
Touché à un genou samedi lors de Hongrie-France (1-1), Ousmane Dembélé est contraint de déclarer forfait pour la suite de l’Euro. Bon rétablissement Ousmane ! ??????? #FiersdetreBleus
? https://t.co/uLsigCx3Ne pic.twitter.com/CFyNTZsKpP
— Team of France ?? (@equipedfrance) June 21, 2021
It soon seemed that the European Championship was over for the attacker, who was initially expected to undergo a rehabilitation period of three weeks. However, the latest diagnosis indicates that Dembélé will probably need three months to return. With that, he misses the complete preparation and the first month of the season in Spain. The exact recovery period has not yet been confirmed. A huge downer for Dembélé, but also for Barcelona, which hopes to say goodbye to the Frenchman in the summer.
According to lé, Dembele has TV3 informed that he will not renew his commitment expiring in mid-2022, but Mundo Deportivo states on Tuesday that Dembélé may be changed by his injury. Barça paid no less than 135 million euros for Dembele four years ago and hoped to recoup at least part of that amount. The attacker has been offered in various exchange constructions in vain in recent times. The chance that possibly interested clubs still want to attract Dembélé after his new muscle injury, seems very small.
Clubs will be hesitant to bring in Dembélé anyway, given his long history with serious muscle injuries. The Frenchman tore his hamstring several times in his four seasons at Barcelona and missed a total of 86 games due to injuries. Despite this, he made 118 official appearances for Barca, producing 30 goals and 21 assists. Dembele is not the only injured player Barcelona is trying to sell: Philippe Coutinho, who is recovering from a serious knee injury, is also forced to leave.