Barcelona star Dembele sustains ´complete´ hamstring tear

Ousmane Dembele has been diagnosed with a complete hamstring tear in his right leg, Barcelona announced on Tuesday.

Dembele sustained the blow during a training session on Monday, having been stepping up his recovery from a right hamstring issue that has sidelined him since November.

While the club provided no time frame for his recovery, multiple reports in Spain claim Dembele will be forced to sit out the rest of the season.

A Barca statement read: “Tests carried out on Tuesday on Ousmane Dembele have shown that the player has a complete proximal hamstring tear in his right thigh.

“In the next few hours a decision will be made on the treatment to be followed for his recovery.”

INJURY UPDATE | Tests carried out on Ousmane Dembélé today have confirmed that he has a complete proximal hamstring tear in his right thigh. In the next few hours a decision will be made on the treatment to be followed for his recovery. pic.twitter.com/fk7KgzaMC6

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 4, 2020

Dembele has only made nine appearances for Barca this season and spent a month out earlier in the campaign with a left hamstring injury.

The 22-year-old arrived from Borussia Dortmund for an initial fee of €105million in August 2017 but his time at Camp Nou has been blighted by injury.

He underwent surgery on his left hamstring one month after joining the club and did not return to action until January 2018.

Dembele suffered another strain in the same thigh four games after making his comeback and spent another month on the sidelines.

At the end of the 2018-19 season, a sprained ankle was followed by a left hamstring strain and a right hamstring injury to restrict his involvement in the team.

The latest setback will be a bitter blow for head coach Quique Setien, who was counting on Dembele’s return to bolster his attacking options due to Luis Suarez being ruled out until May after undergoing knee surgery.

Setien stated Dembele would be an “amazing” addition when he regained fitness, with the club having failed to bring in a forward during the January transfer window.

“The market did not give us anything, but we will also recover Dembele,” said the Barca boss.

“He is a player who has specific attributes and I think he can give us a lot. He feels comfortable out wide and we will try to take advantage of that.

“I’m sure he will give us a lot with the potential he has and will demonstrate the great player he is. Dembele is going to be amazing.”