A day after the 2-0 victory over Ukraine, the calf injury of Desire Doué and the more serious thigh injury of Ousmane Dembélé have led to severe tensions between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and the France national team.
On Saturday morning, the two left Clairefontaine with injury assessment reports in their luggage, and it was confirmed that they would definitely miss the team’s first Champions League match of the season. This medical evaluation heightened the emotions from the previous day and intensified the fierce dispute between PSG and the staff of the France national team.
By Saturday noon, Doué and Dembélé left the team gathering after being examined by France team doctor Franck Le Gall. Doué, sidelined for three to four weeks due to a "right calf soleus muscle injury", will miss the Champions League match against Atalanta (September 17) and the away game against Marseille (September 21).
Dembélé, suffering from a "right hamstring tear", will be out for six to eight weeks, meaning he will even miss the away match against Barcelona (October 1). This is a double blow for PSG. Even though the first team will not resume training until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Doué and Dembélé must go to the Poissy training center to continue their rehabilitation program.
For Doué, the final diagnosis from Friday night to Saturday was more serious than expected. "He was hit," a national team staff member said. However, photos of the former Rennes player leaving the field limping were not a good sign, raising concerns about his injury, which was finally confirmed on Saturday morning.
As for Dembélé, when he boarded the team bus, he had a serious expression, reflecting his inner frustration, and did not seem to be smiling. What was Dembélé’s state when he returned home around Saturday lunchtime?
Insiders from the France national team insisted that the player did not regret his decision to play.
"We didn’t ask him if he wanted to stay on Monday, nor did we ask him if he wanted to play on Friday," one of his entourage added. “Basically, he shouldn’t have played for more than 20 minutes.”
Despite the different circumstances, one thing stood out during the September international break: among PSG’s outfield players who have made the most appearances early in the season, the top four (Fabian Ruiz, with muscle discomfort), the fifth (Desire Doué) and the seventh (Ousmane Dembélé) have all suffered injuries in recent days.
Could the team doctors have anticipated this muscle fatigue?
PSG’s top management has been emphasizing this point for hours, especially regarding Dembélé’s injury. On Saturday, PSG management still stated that they had warned the France team that Dembélé was under excessive muscle load and needed rest to avoid more serious injuries.
The national team, on the other hand, continued to state that even though Dembélé had only participated in one collective training session, the medical examination results and the player’s own feelings (conveyed to the staff) allowed him to play on Friday.
"Didier Deschamps would never let any player play if they thought there was a risk," the France national team staff firmly said. They did not want to be drawn into the controversy and emphasized two points: the continuous communication between Dembélé and Deschamps, and the good relationship between the medical staff of both sides in recent days.
According to PSG sources, the club sent a letter to the French Football Federation (FFF) on Thursday, warning against overusing the French winger.
On Saturday, PSG expressed regret that there had been no response to this letter, and more generally, lamented the lack of communication. It also painfully pointed out that Dembélé’s last serious injury occurred five days after France’s matches in June.
