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Ousmane Dembele is a major doubt for Barcelona‘s Europa League tie against Manchester United after injuring his quadriceps against Girona on Saturday.
Preliminary tests suggest Dembele will be out for between three and four weeks, sources told ESPN, but the club will have a better idea on Sunday with the forward due to have a scan at the training ground.
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Dembele, 25, was taken off in the 25th minute of his side’s 1-0 win at Estadi Montilivi after pulling up following a foot race with Girona defender Arnau Martinez.
He was replaced by Pedri — who scored the only goal of the game on his 100th Barca appearance — and watched the rest of the match unfold from the bench.
Barca host Man United in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round tie on Feb. 16, with the second leg at Old Trafford a week later.
Prior to United’s visit next month, Barca face tough league games against Real Betis, Sevilla and Villarreal, while they will also have the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal, with the draw to be made on Monday.
Dembele has been one of Barca’s most productive players this season, scoring eight goals and creating seven more, and has been a staple in the side since Xavi Hernandez took charge.
While his first four seasons at Barca following an initial €105 million move from Borussia Dortmund were marked my fitness issues, he has remained injury free since Xavi took charge in November 2021.
Barca’s win at Girona was their third consecutive 1-0 victory in LaLiga and took them six points clear of Real Madrid, who host third-placed Real Sociedad on Sunday.
They will find out who their Copa semifinal opponents are on Monday, with a two-legged Clasico against Madrid a possibility. Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna are the other two teams left in the draw.