Ousmane Dembele out for five weeks with hamstring injury

Aug 21, 2019 06:00 am

Barcelona's France attacker Ousmane Dembele will be sidelined for about five weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in their defeat by Athletic Bilbao in the La Liga opener, the Spanish champions said yesterday.

"A medical examination on Ousmane Dembele has diagnosed a strain of his left hamstring and the Frenchman is set to be out for approximately five weeks as a result," the club said on their website.

Dembele's injury lay-off is another blow for Barca coach Ernesto Valverde, after forward Luis Suarez limped off in the first half of the 1-0 loss away to Bilbao last Friday.

Marca reported that Barcelona are livid with the 22-year-old for failing to attend a medical to determine the extent of the injury last Saturday. He went for the assessment only on Monday.

Lionel Messi sat out the Bilbao loss as he recovers from the long-term calf strain that saw him miss Barca's pre-season tour of the United States.

Next up for the Catalan side is the visit of Real Betis on Monday morning (Singapore time). - REUTERS