The French winger will miss the Euro 2020 after picking up a knee injury against Hungary.
Ousmane Dembele‘s Euro 2020 journey comes to an end after picking up a knee injury during the draw against Hungary.
It was doubted that the winger from France wouldn’t be available for the Portugal game alone, but he is now set to miss the rest of the tournament.
The Barcelona attacker came in as a second-half substitute against Hungary, but his presence was fleeting after he took a knock on his knee.
A statement from France Football Federation read: “Ousmane Dembele had an X-ray at the Budapest hospital on Sunday night. The recovery time is incompatible with him staying in the squad.”
It would be quite frustrating for Dembele, who is returning to the national team after enduring injury-ridden seasons at Barca over the years. However, his revival under Ronald Koeman made Didier Deschamps think that he could be vital to Les Bleus in the European Championship.
Nonetheless, Deschamps has a handful of options like Wissam Ben-Yedder, Marcus Thuram, Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman to cope up with the absence of Dembele.
Dembele unlikely to leave Barca amid Premier League interest
Dembele’s lack of consistency has been a concern for the Catalan club, and it has been reported that they could part ways with him this summer.
It has been reported recently that Barca will hold talks with the Frenchman’s agents soon over a contract extension as his current deal expires in the summer of 2020. However, the Catalan club wouldn’t stand in his way and could make him as a makeweight in transfer deals if he opts against continuing at Barca.
The likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Juventus have been keeping tabs on Dembele’s situation, but his injury-prone nature coupled with inconsistency could prove to be a stumbling block.
Barca have already signed Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, with the latter appearing to be a certain starter under Ronald Koeman. However, their attack is also a stacked one at the moment with the likes of talismanic figures like Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann. It raises the question of whether Dembele could sustain his place next season.
