Ousmane Dembélé should make his return to the Paris Saint-Germain group this Tuesday, during the trip to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. The French striker had been absent for several weeks due to a “severe injury to the right hamstring” contracted during the match with the Blues against Ukraine on September 5.
But during his absence, the Parisian number 10 did not remain inactive. In the wake of his Ballon d'Or coronation, the 2018 world champion flew to Qatar to continue his rehabilitation in a specialized clinic. He also returned to his hometown, Évreux, to present his Grail, to the very place where it all began for him.
“It’s not the Ballon d’or, it’s Ousmane Dembélé”
Crowned with this new distinction, expectations for Dembélé will therefore be greater this season. But he can count on the Parisian club to help him manage this pressure. “ He won the Ballon d'Or, he is a high quality player who is returning, added value but the group also showed that it was strong (without him). He worked hard to come back but nothing changed. We will give him time to get back to his best level. We don't expect him to break everything this (Tuesday) evening », we explain to PSG, according to
The Team.
His trainer Luis Enrique also agrees: “ You are very concerned about the Ballon d'or… It's not the Ballon d'or, it's Ousmane Dembélé. It's the same person, the same player, a different player. We are very happy to have him back, Marquinhos too, like Désiré Doué last week (Doué played against Strasbourg on Friday, Editor's note). It's important for the coach, the team, the players to have these possibilities. But that doesn't change anything. We must already see what their feelings are in training and we will see tomorrow. »
