Ousmane Dembele Pushing To Return For Atletico Clash, But Medical Staff Wants To Wait
After nearly three months out on the sidelines, key Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele is pushing to make himself available for the match against Atletico Madrid this weekend, reports ARA.
However, the medical staff wants the attacker’s return to be delayed by another week, and ideally would prefer to him make his comeback against Real Betis on April 29.
Dembele suffered a hamstring injury in late January during a La Liga encounter against Girona. Initially it was reported that he would be out only for five-six weeks and would return in time for the Clasico in mid-March.
But when that did not materialise, his return date was pushed to the Clasico in the first week of April, but then that also did not happen. Dembele’s recovery has gone at a much slower rate than anticipated and his absence has been felt on the pitch by Barcelona.
Barça are expected to recover Pedri and Frenkie de Jong for the Atletico Madrid encounter. But there had been doubts about whether Dembele could be back in time for the match. However, as per the report, the Frenchman is now working hard to make himself available against the Rojiblancos.
The medical staff, however, wish for the 25-year-old to return a week later, against Real Betis. The reason behind their stance is that Dembele observes a fast during the month of Ramadan (March 22 – April 21).
And the medical department wants the Frenchman to return to his normal diet and train for at least one week before making a comeback on the pitch. Hence, they are also not considering a return for the midweek encounter against Rayo Vallecano on April 26.
The final call, though, will rest with the player and the coaching staff. Dembele, for his part, wants to return, but Xavi & co. could likely err on the side of caution, having seen Pedri suffer a relapse in an attempt to make an early return.
There are four training sessions left for this week and the Barcelona staff will monitor Dembele closely during that period to decide whether he is in a condition to return. Even if he is named in the squad for the Atletico Madrid clash, the Frenchman will only likely be used as a substitute and not a starter.
