Barcelona Confirm Ousmane Dembele Will Be Out for Up to Four Months After Ruptured Tendon in Thigh

Barcelona have confirmed that Ousmane Dembele will be out for between three-and-a-half and four months after tests revealed he has ruptured a tendon in his thigh.

The Frenchman was forced to withdraw in the first half of his side's 2-1 win against Getafe with what at first appeared to be a hamstring pull.

But it has now been confirmed that the injury is far more serious, and could see Dembele miss the first half of the season.

The 20-year-old, who was making his first league start for his new club, will now fly out to Finland where he will undergo surgery.

A club statement after the game read: "Ousmane Dembele has a hamstring injury in his left leg, more tests are needed to find out the extent of the injury."

Coach Ernesto Valverde echoed the statement, and admitted that losing the 20-year-old to injury so soon is "a shame".

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"It's a muscle problem," he said. "We think it's a tear, but we will do more tests tomorrow.

"It's a shame because he was just getting up to scratch with the team's dynamic. We hope he won't be out for a long time." 

Barcelona signed Dembele from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €105m, although it could rise to €145m with add-ons.

The youngster made his debut as a substitute in last weekend's 5-0 victory over Espanyol, providing an assist for Luis Suarez.

He then made his first start in Tuesday night's Champions League opener against Serie A champions Juventus.