Dembele out for two weeks as Barca injury nightmare continues

The France international could miss as many as four games for the Catalans after suffering an ankle injury against Leganes

Ousmane Dembele has been ruled out for at least two weeks as his Barcelona career suffers another injury setback.

The France international played 69 minutes of the 3-1 win over Leganas on Sunday after going off with a sprained ankle.

Subsequent tests have revealed a tear to the left ankle which will see him miss the next four matches.

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Dembele is expected to be absent for both legs of the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Sevilla and the La Liga games against Girona and Valencia.

He joins an injury list which already includes Rafinha and Samuel Umtiti, both of whom have knee injuries.

Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund, the 21-year-old’s career at Camp Nou has been dominated by fitness issues.

A hamstring tear saw Demebele miss much of his first season at Barca, and he suffered a similar injury 12 months ago which again derailed his spell at the club.

But the 2018-19 campaign had been largely injury free for the Frenchman, helping him score 13 goals and contribute five assists in 27 appearances.

Ernesto Valverde’s side are still fighting firmly on three fronts this season.

The Catalans are top of La Liga, five points ahead of Atletico Madrid and into the last-16 of the Champions League where they face Lyon.

Sevilla are their opponents in the Copa de Rey as they pursue an unlikely quadruple, having already won the Spanish Super Cup at the start of the season