Dembele plays down worries about his injury status following his goal in PSG's Champions League victory against Arsenal.
In the latest development, Ousmane Dembele's injury sustained during the Champions League semifinals against Arsenal has been confirmed as a left quadriceps strain, rather than a hamstring problem as initially speculated. This injury, which occurred on June 5 during France's UEFA Nations League semifinal against Spain, has kept the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward out of several significant matches, including the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage games for PSG [1][2].
As of late June 2025, Dembele is reportedly close to returning to full fitness and is being considered for game time. However, PSG's manager Luis Enrique is being cautious, aiming to avoid any further injury by not rushing Dembele back too soon [3][4]. The return of the prolific forward is seen as a significant boost for PSG’s attacking options moving forward in the tournament [3].
Dembele himself downplayed the situation regarding his injury, according to French newspaper L'Equipe, stating, "I felt a little something, but it's OK." Despite this, the injury is described as "something very minor" by PSG coach Luis Enrique [1].
The injury occurred during the first leg of the Champions League semifinals between PSG and Arsenal, a match that ended with a 1-0 win for PSG. The return leg of the semifinals is scheduled for May 7.
It's worth noting that Dembele scored in the 4th minute of the first leg against Arsenal, a goal that put PSG in an early lead. The current paragraph does not contain any advertisements.
[1] L'Equipe, June 2025, "Dembele: "I felt a little something, but it's OK"" [2] ESPN, June 2025, "Dembele out of Club World Cup with quadriceps injury" [3] Goal.com, June 2025, "Dembele nearing return as PSG prepare for Club World Cup" [4] BBC Sport, June 2025, "Dembele set for fitness test as PSG weigh up return"
Despite the initial speculation, Ousmane Dembele's injury sustained during the Champions League semifinals against Arsenal was confirmed to be a left quadriceps strain. With his potential return to full fitness, Dembele could contribute to PSG's attacking options in the ongoing European leagues, including the Champions League.
