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Barcelona superstar Ousmane Dembele is reportedly unlikely to line up against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League after suffering an injury against Girona on Saturday (28 January).
The France international's injury issues at Barca prior to manager Xavi Hernandez's arrival are well documented. However, he has largely remained fit since the Spanish tactician took over the managerial helm at Camp Nou in November 2021.
Dembele has only missed four games during that time due to fitness issues. However, he could be set for an extended spell on the sidelines after picking up a thigh injury in his team's 1-0 win against Girona in La Liga.
The former Borussia Dortmund winger pulled up short while sprinting for the ball in the early stages of the game. He tried to soldier on but had to be substituted in the 26th minute for Pedri.
Dembele remained on the bench instead of going down to the locker room. As it turned out, Pedri ended up scoring the only goal of the game, doing so in the 61st minute.
After the full-time whistle, the first medical examination of Dembele's left leg ruled that the player was likely to be sidelined for around three weeks.
According to MARCA, the second test, conducted in Barcelona after his return from Estadi Montilivi, has placed a recovery time of around three to four weeks. This means that the Frenchman is set to miss his team's round-of-32 Europa League date with Manchester United in February.
Barca host the Red Devils on 16 February before making the trip to Manchester a week later. Dembele's speed, trickery, and contribution in the final third will be a big miss for Xavi in the coming weeks.
He has registered eight goals and seven assists in 28 games across competitions this season.
Xavi impressed with Pedri after Barcelona's 1-0 win against Girona
Pedri isn't often dropped to the bench by Xavi. He has started 15 out of Barcelona's 18 La Liga games this campaign.
Against Girona, he showed that he is equally effective coming off the bench. The 20-year-old was substituted for Dembele a few minutes after the midway point in the first half.
He was on hand to fire home Barca's only goal of the game after goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga parried the ball right into his path. Speaking after the game, manager Xavi Hernandez said (h/t BarcaUniversal):
"Pedri is a differential. He looks between the lines and attacks the spaces. Add goals to that, and we are talking about one of the best midfielders in the world at 20 years old."
His fifth league goal of the campaign was enough to hand Barcelona a six-point lead over Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.
