Deschamps defends himself after Dembélé injury

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·6 de septiembre de 2025

Deschamps defends himself after Dembélé injury

Ousmane Dembélé, 28-year-old forward for Paris Saint-Germain, had to leave the match against Ukraine on Friday night (2026 World Cup qualifiers) after coming on at halftime to replace Désiré Doué (who suffered a knock). The reason was an issue with his right hamstring. Coach Didier Deschamps was asked in a press conference to justify the decision to bring on the player who had just returned from injury.

Deschamps: “There was no problem.”

“If I brought him on, it’s because he was fine, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. Besides, it’s the other thigh, even if he didn’t feel anything severe. He was in good condition. Unfortunately for him, it happened, but it could have happened to another player. But I made the decision based on how he felt and, from a medical standpoint, there was no problem.”

It’s clear there wasn’t any particular issue, otherwise bringing Dembélé on would have been completely senseless. And there’s a bit of bad luck, since the player got injured on the other side. However, it’s also important to be cautious and minimize the chances of injury.

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Dembélé had only one group training session, and everyone knows he is prone to injuries. Especially at the start of this season, with PSG having had a shortened preseason. Deschamps had good options on the bench (Marcus Thuram, Maghnes Akiouche, and Hugo Ekitike); it would have been possible to do things differently. There’s also a certain message being sent to these players: it’s better to choose someone who’s been uncertain all week. Not exactly confidence-boosting for them.

In any case, Dembélé now has to undergo an MRI. We can only hope the injury is minor.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.