Barcelona Confirms Ousmane Dembele Sprained Ankle in Season Finale
Barcelona ace Ousmane Dembele suffered a sprained ankle during his side's season-closing 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday, the club has confirmed.
Philippe Coutinho's wonderstrike from 25 yards proved to be the only goal of the game during an evening dedicated to the departing Andres Iniesta.
However, despite the party atmosphere inside the 84,000-strong Camp Nou as Barca celebrated their eighth domestic double, anger and concern engulfed the Catalonian amphitheater shortly before the break when Sociedad's Raul Navas lunged into the breaking Dembele with a nasty studs-up challenge.
On initial viewing, the 30-year-old center back's challenge looked as though it could have quite easily ended the recently-turned 21-year-old's World Cup summer.
However, Barcelona confirmed via the club's official website that the damage was only minor, although he will remain under supervision.
"The first team player Ousmane Dembele has a sprained right ankle," the statement read. "In the next few days he will continue under the supervision of the club's medical staff."
Despite the France international escaping what could have been a horror injury, Didier Deschamps will be concerned over his attacker's availability less than a month out from their trip to Russia.
The Barca youngster is part of his nation's squad, who begin their tournament against Australia on June 16 at the Kazan Arena.
Dembele lasted just nine second half minutes before being replaced by Denis Suarez, who enjoyed another impressive showing since his re-emergence this term.
However, the entire evening revolved solely around one man; Iniesta, who bid his final farewell to the Catalonian club after 22 years of service, with boss Ernesto Valverde leading the tributes post-match.
