Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has moved to ease concerns over Ousmane Dembélé's fitness just weeks before the Champions League final against Arsenal. The Gunners are keeping a close eye on developments as the Parisians sweat over the availability of their Ballon d'Or-winning forward, while fighting their own battle for Premier League glory.
The 29-year-old was hauled off inside the first half-hour of their derby clash with Paris FC. Early reports suggested Dembélé had been forced off with a suspected thigh problem, and following his withdrawal, he headed straight down the tunnel without delay. The potential setback has heightened anxieties with less than a fortnight to go until the Champions League final in Budapest.
Arsenal fans will be monitoring the situation closely, having watched the former Barcelona star dismantle both Liverpool and Bayern Munich on the road to the showpiece occasion. Enrique said: "I have nothing to say about Ousmane, we'll have to wait until tomorrow. I think it's just fatigue. What we can talk about today is just speculation. But I don't think it's very serious, we'll know more tomorrow."
The timing of the forward's knock couldn't be worse, coming as the Ligue 1 campaign drew to a close on Sunday. PSG were dealt a last-minute defeat by their city rivals, with Alimani Gory's 94th-minute strike handing Paris FC local bragging rights. However, the title had already been sewn up for the Parisiens, who now have 12 days to prepare ahead of their clash with Arsenal at the Puskas Arena.
For Arsenal, meanwhile, they stand just two victories away from ending their long wait to return back to the top of the Premier League. Monday sees the Gunners travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley, before heading to Crystal Palace where they hope to get their hands on the prize. Whether the French giants will schedule behind-closed-doors friendlies during that period to give their stars a timely tune-up remains to be seen.
The PSG head coach offered a glimpse into how their preparations will unfold over the next 12 days, saying: "We're going to try to do everything: rest, physically and mentally, but also work. We're going to play a small match amongst ourselves next weekend and we're going to try to increase our football workload a bit."
