Paris Saint-Germain will have to navigate a crucial stretch of the season without two of their brightest talents. Ousmane Dembélé has been ruled out for six weeks with a hamstring injury, while summer signing Désiré Doué is also sidelined, compounding the club’s concerns ahead of both Ligue 1 and Champions League fixtures.
Dembélé sustained his injury while on international duty with France, cutting short what had been a promising start to the campaign. The winger’s pace and unpredictability have been central to Luis Enrique’s plans, and his absence will be felt immediately. He is now set to miss PSG’s Champions League opener against Atalanta, the highly anticipated “Le Classique” against Marseille, as well as league games against Lens and Auxerre. Looking further ahead, his recovery window could even place his availability for the Champions League clash with Barcelona in doubt.
The setback comes at a delicate moment for PSG. The Parisian side, who have set their sights on finally lifting the Champions League trophy, now face a test of depth and adaptability. In Dembélé’s absence, Enrique may lean more heavily on Bradley Barcola or reconfigure the front line around Kylian Mbappé’s versatility.
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Adding to the difficulty, 19-year-old Doué has been ruled out for at least three to four weeks. The midfielder, signed from Rennes earlier this summer, had been easing into the squad and was expected to provide dynamism in transition. His absence rules him out of the upcoming league fixture against Lens and also the Atalanta tie, further stretching PSG’s options.
While PSG boasts one of Europe’s most talented rosters, the simultaneous loss of two creative players inevitably alters the rhythm of their attack. Supporters will be looking to veterans like Marco Asensio and newcomers such as Kang-in Lee to step into bigger roles during this critical run.
For Enrique, the coming weeks will serve as an early stress test of his squad management. With Dembélé unavailable until late October and Doué sidelined until the end of September, PSG’s ambitions remain intact—but the margin for error has just narrowed.
