5 key players who will miss the Round of 16 | UEFA Champions League 2019-20

Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez

#4 Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona) - Torn Muscle

Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele was over the moon when he completed a mega transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona in the summer of 2017, with the Catalans signing him for a club-record fee as the ostensible replacement for Neymar.

The Frenchman had only been in Germany for one year, having signed from Rennes in 2016 but he was in for a whirlwind ride as he went from playing for the Ligue 1 outfit to playing with some of the best players in history in Catalunya.

However, his dream move soon turned into a nightmare as he suffered a major injury barely a month into his transfer and was ruled out for three months, as a result of which his first season at the Camp Nou was severely hampered. The 22-year-old is a quality player and has shown flashes of his brilliance on occasion but his development has been further obstructed by accusations of unprofessionalism.

After tests to his latest muscle setback, which he suffered at the start of February, Dembele was ruled out for the rest of the season. This means he has suffered no less than 10 major injuries since arriving at Barcelona, missing over 70 matches in the process, with the Catalan giants likely to consider alternatives in the summer.

The club have been given the go-ahead to sign an emergency replacement owing to special transfer rules in Spain that gives concessions to replace players who suffer long-term injuries after the end of the transfer window.


Quick Links

Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh