The Frenchman was injured after only playing a couple of minutes of the Getafe matchup. Bad luck, being one of his first games for the club. Although it’s said videos from the pre-match warmup reveal that he knew of the injury beforehand but did not tell staff. Whether that is the case or not remains irrelevant; Dembélé is injured and will not be able to play until 2018.

On Tuesday, Dembélé was successfully operated and is expected to be able to meet the deadlines set by the club’s medical team. If not, it would be a huge blow to the Barça team and to the the young player, who evidently has to demonstrate a crucial mental strength the coming months.

In the Finnish hospital were Dembélé was operated, Lasse Lempainen, one of the most prestigious doctors in the footballing world, stressed: “it’s important that the rehabilitation be initiated in a timely manner and carried out in accordance with the plan. If so, Ousmane Dembélé will return to the pitch by the end of the year.”

Lempainen also added that “Dembélé suffered a rupture of the hamstring, the breaks that need surgery are rare and this risk also requires a greater carefulness in his reappearance.” Now the player must recover, but the forecast is that he will return to his best level, as stressed by Lempainen.