Ousmane Dembele 'Determined' to Recover From Hamstring Injury to Face Man Utd in Champions League

Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele is said to be desperate to recover from his hamstring injury early enough to face Manchester United in the Champions League on 10 April.

The Frenchman has been struggling with the injury for several weeks and was expected to miss around a month after aggravating the problem in the 5-1 win ove Lyon on 13 March. As a result, many expect Dembele to miss the first leg of the quarter-final tie.

However, according to AS, Dembele is doing all he can to recover in time. He has been undergoing intense recovery sessions every day since the injury and is said to be desperate to ensure he recovers from the injury after just three weeks, instead of the predicted four weeks.

Only Dembele, Luis Suarez and Rafinha are not away on international duty, but the Frenchman is the only player to not have taken a day off, as he instead has been working with physiotherapist Xavi Linde to try and reduce his recovery time.

Given the nature of his injury, Barcelona are keen for him to rest and ensure the hamstring tear fully heals, but the 21-year-old is reportedly confident that his plan will work. 

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Coaches at the club are now said to trust his work ethic and mentality, having previously had doubts following a string of late-showings to both matches and training.

As a result, they are prepared to allow Dembele to continue his "marathon sessions", and they hope to give the winger a limited number of minutes against Atletico Madrid on 6 April as a final test of his fitness, before allowing him to play against United four days later.

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The former Borussia Dortmund star has been in excellent form this season, racking up 14 goals and eight assists in all competitions. He has combined with both Suarez and Lionel Messi to form a prolific attacking trio, and fans will certainly be keen for Dembele to recover in time for the crucial Champions League matches.