The physical condition of Frenchman Ousmane Dembele, the Barcelona winger, raises the concern of the Catalan club officials, after his absence lasted much longer than expected, to raise questions about the capabilities of the team's medical staff.
Dembele was not the only player who missed more than expected, but the medical deficiencies extended to his teammates Pedri Gonzalez, Frenkie de Young and Andreas Christensen.
But Dembele's condition is what shakes Barcelona's pillars the most, according to the Spanish "Barca Universal" website, as 3 months have passed since his injury, and there is still no known date for his return to the stadiums.
Dembélé's recovery is progressing slowly.
— @esport3 pic.twitter.com/onAyrk3Uh7
– Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) April 12, 2023
Dembele was injured in the Barcelona match, in which he hosted Girona on January 28, 2023, in the nineteenth round of the "La Liga".
Hours later, the club announced – in a brief statement – that the tests that were conducted for Dembley showed that he had an injury in the anterior rectum of his left thigh, stressing that "the date of his return is linked to the development of his condition."
Dembele, 25, is considered an essential and indispensable element in the squad of Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, who has relied on him a lot since the start of the current season 2022-2023.
The site close to Barcelona considered that Dembele's setback was a major blow to the team, and contributed to its exit from the King's Cup and the European League.
Barcelona had hoped for Dembele's return before the La Liga Clasico match against rival Real Madrid on March 19, 2023, but the French international's recovery process went slower than expected, leaving him confined to the stands for another period.
Fun fact: Pedri and Dembele should have been back in late February. It is currently April pic.twitter.com/WmZ0mcwtMo
– Zayed (@FCB__Messi10_) April 11, 2023
Days passed without any news about Dembele, whose absence extended to the second leg of the King's Cup semi-final on April 5, 2023, in which Barcelona fell resoundingly with a 0-4 loss, so that the team's dreams of crowning the local double evaporated.
The Spanish website reaffirms that the date of the player's return, 3 months after his injury, is still unknown.
He pointed out that Dembele's long history with injuries and his track record related to the slow recovery process makes it understandable, but what is outrageous is the repeated mistakes of Barcelona's medical team in accurately diagnosing injuries.
It is possible that Dembele will continue to be absent from Barcelona in the upcoming matches against Getafe, Atletico Madrid, and perhaps Rayo Vallecano, and Barcelona fans will have to wait until April 29, 2023, when their team will face Real Betis, and they may have to wait until next month.
Dembele participated with Barcelona this season in 28 matches in all tournaments, during which he scored 8 goals and provided his teammates with 7 assists.
