[ad_1]
Ousmane Dembele has been set aside several months after Barcelona confirmed it needed surgery for a Euro 2020 knee injury.
Sources have told ESPN that the French international team will be away for three to five months, even though Barca has not given a recovery time.
– Stream ESPN FC daily on ESPN + (US only)
Dembele, 24, left French camp on Monday after being injured in the final stages of a 1-1 match against Hungary in Budapest on Saturday.
“After the tests, it has been confirmed that he has a biceps tendon in the right knee, which requires surgical treatment,” Barca said in a brief statement Tuesday.
Dembele has had bad luck after injuries when he signed Barca’s Borussia Dortmund with a start-up fee of 105 million in 2017.
The Hamstring injury dominated him for four months in the first season at the club, while muscle problems limited him to only nine appearances in all competitions in 2019-20.
However, the striker remained unscathed last season. He played 44 times and scored 11 goals under Ronald Koeman.
The performances for Barca recently earned him a French line-up, and he came off the bench in both of his country’s so far matches at Euro 2020 against Germany and Hungary.
This latest setback comes at a time when his long-term future at Barca is unknown.
Dembele’s contract expires in 2022, and sources say ESPN Barca would have been open to bids for him this summer if he hadn’t signed the sequel.
Barca could lose him for free next year if he doesn’t sign a new contract, but it’s unlikely there would be any interest now until his knee is completely healed.
[ad_2]
picture credit