Paris Saint-Germain are furious with France head coach Didier Deschamps for playing Ousmane Dembélé in Friday’s match against Ukraine, where the forward picked up an injury that could sideline him for over a month, a source has told ESPN.
Dembélé, 28, was brought on at halftime before coming off in the 81st minute holding his right hamstring. A source has told ESPN that the favourite for the Ballon d’Or trophy will be out for five to six weeks after having scans in the French capital.
He will miss the first match of the Champions League campaign against Atalanta, the second one away at Barcelona and potentially the trip to Bayer Leverkusen. He will also be absent for the Classique against Marseille and many other Ligue 1 games.
In Paris, the decision to play Dembélé was deemed incomprehensible and the wrong call to make. A source has told ESPN that playing Dembélé, who suffered an injury scare on his left hamstring the previous weekend in against Toulouse, was “ridiculous.”
Deschamps tried to defend his decision after the game.
“I was sure that he was capable of playing a high level match, otherwise I would not have played him,” he said. “This time, it is the other thigh [than against Toulouse]. He was fit. It is unfortunate for him but could have happened to another player.
“I took the decision to play him because of what he was thinking and because medically there was no problem.”
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Désiré Doué, Dembélé’s teammate in Paris, also got injured and came off at halftime against Ukraine. He suffered a strain calf and will be out for three to four weeks, the same source told ESPN.
It was a bad day in terms of injuries for PSG as their manager Luis Enrique ended up in hospital after falling heavily during a bike ride. The 55 year old Spaniard broke his collar bone and had surgery on Friday night.
