Dembele to have hamstring surgery next week
Barcelona has confirmed Ousmane Dembele will have surgery next week after suffering a rupture to his hamstring.
Dembele sustained the injury in training on Monday, having been stepping up his recovery from a right hamstring problem that has sidelined him since November.
A statement on Tuesday confirmed Dembele suffered a "complete proximal hamstring tear in his right thigh".
The club is still unable to provide any information about a potential return date, though media reports have suggested they do not expect him to play much of a role – if any – in the remainder of the season.
A Barca statement read: "Barcelona player Ousmane Dembele will undergo surgery on Tuesday, February 11 in Turku, Finland, to treat a rupture to the proximal tendon of his right hamstring.
"Once the operation has been concluded, further information will be given regarding his approximate recovery time."
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 2018-2019 season, a sprained ankle was followed by a left hamstring strain and a right hamstring injury to restrict his involvement in the team.
New coach Quique Setien had recently spoken of his excitement to have Dembele back in contention after the club failed to bolster their attacking options following a serious injury to Luis Suarez.
However, Barca are said to be confident of securing special dispensation from authorities to bring in reinforcements outside of the transfer window following this latest setback.
