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  "path": "/2026/05/18/luis-enrique-provides-ousmane-dembele-injury-update-ahead-champions-league-final-arsenal-28414579/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-18T06:57:30.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Football",
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    "Champions League",
    "Luis Enrique",
    "Ousmane Dembele",
    "Paris Saint-Germain",
    "Ballon d’Or",
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    "Jurrien Timber still yet to return from the groin problem he suffered in mid-March",
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  "textContent": "Ousmane Dembele was forced off midway through the first half of PSG’s 2-1 loss (Picture: Getty)\n\nLuis Enrique allayed fears that Ousmane Dembele may have picked up a serious injury after Paris Saint-Germain’s defeat to Paris FC, suggesting the forward was simply suffering with ‘fatigue’.\n\nDembele was given the nod for his 11 start of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday, despite the club already having wrapped up a fifth straight title with victory over Lens in the week.\n\nBut the 29-year-old forward – the current Ballon d’Or holder – was forced off just 27 minutes into the contest, with Goncalo Ramos coming on in his place at Paris FC’s Stade Jean-Bouin.\n\nDembele appeared to be struggling with a suspected thigh problem and proceeded to walk straight down the tunnel towards the away dressing room in the French capital.\n\n##  Get ready for the World Cup\n\nGet previews of every single team at the World Cup sent directly to your inbox, featuring the players to look out for, games you shouldn’t miss and Metro’s big England predictions. Don't miss out, sign up here.\n\nGiven PSG’s Champions League final clash with Arsenal takes place in under a fortnight’s time, Enrique would no doubt have been sweating on the touchline, with one of his key men clearly in some discomfort.\n\nDembele has struggled for fitness throughout the campaign, picking up two separate calf injuries and missing a month of the season with a hamstring issue sustained in September.\n\nFrance head coach Didier Deschamps may also have been watching on with concern having named the attacker in his 26-man World Cup just days earlier.\n\nThe forward may have been struggling with ‘fatigue’, according to Enrique (Picture: Getty)\n\nEnrique’s men – the Champions League holders – take on Arsenal in this year’s final (Picture: Getty)\n\nThe evening soon went from bad to worse for the European champions against their city rivals, with Alimami Gory completing a brace – after Bradley Barcola’s opener – to seal the hosts a shock 2-1 win.\n\nAsked for an update on Dembele’s condition shortly after the final whistle, Enrique told Ligue 1+: ‘He’s fine. I hope it’s nothing serious.’\n\nSoon afterwards at his post-match press conference, the PSG boss was pushed to elaborate on what exactly had forced Dembele from the field, to which he replied: ‘I think it’s just fatigue.\n\n‘What we’re saying today is just speculation, but I don’t think it’s anything serious, and there are still two weeks left.’\n\nTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\nDespite his side being crowned Ligue 1 champions last Wednesday, Enrique couldn’t hide his disappointment with the performance he saw from his players on the night.\n\n‘I am a little disappointed. [There was] nothing, absolutely nothing positive about this match,’ the Spaniard told reporters.\n\n‘When you play football without ambition and intensity, these things happen.\n\n‘I knew before the match how difficult it was for the players to play this type of game without any objective, but I’m still a little disappointed.’\n\nGory struck twice as Paris FC stunned their city neighbours on the final day (Picture: Getty)\n\nEnrique continued: ‘I know and understand all the players, but being a Paris Saint-Germain player, for me, has to be different, and I expect much more from my players.\n\n‘I always expect much more from the players and that’s how I think… it’s a professional thing to do. They had the intention, but I repeat, without intensity and ambition, it’s difficult to play football.\n\n‘It’s difficult to play this type of match, but I think my players have to overcome difficult matches and matches where it’s hard to stay motivated. But that’s all.’\n\nPSG were also without centre-back Pacho against Paris FC (Picture: Getty)\n\nPSG are also closely monitoring the fitness of Willian Pacho, who was named man of the match in the second leg of the side’s Champions League semi-final triumph over Bayern Munich.\n\nThe central defender is understood to be experiencing discomfort in his right thigh and has not featured since the Allianz Arena clash.\n\nNuno Mendes (dead leg), Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Chevalier and Quentin Ndjantou (all hamstring) were PSG’s other notable absentees at the weekend.\n\nArsenal have been struck down by injuries of their own in the lead-up to this month’s showpiece event in Budapest, with Jurrien Timber still yet to return from the groin problem he suffered in mid-March.\n\nHis replacement at right-back, Ben White, subsequently went down with a ‘significant’ knee injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the season, while Riccardo Calafiori is nursing an unspecified issue.\n\n**For more stories like this, check our sport page**.\n\n**Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on**Facebook,** Twitter and Instagram**.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Luis Enrique provides Ousmane Dembele injury update ahead of Champions League final with Arsenal"
}