Dembele promises to be back in Barcelona training in two weeks

Ousmane Dembele has said that he will be back training with the Barcelona squad in a fortnight.

The France international winger has been sidelined for much of the season to date after suffering a hamstring injury on just his third appearance for the club, with initial reports suggesting he could be sidelined until deep into 2018.

However, the player says his recovery has gone well and he should start working with the first team again in early December.

“In two weeks, I’ll start working with the squad again,” the 20-year-old told Canal+ while back visiting his formative club Rennes at the weekend. “Has my care programme accelerated my recovery? Yeah, I’d say so. I’ve worked every day – even holidays and every Sunday to regain my fitness.”

Dembele was signed for Barca in the summer for €105 million, excluding bonus payments, from Borussia Dortmund, arriving at Camp Nou as a replacement for Neymar, whose €222m switch to PSG was the headline deal of the summer.

The Catalans have fared well without their record signing, climbing to the top of La Liga and drawing 1-1 against second-placed Valencia on Sunday despite Lionel Messi having what appeared a perfectly good goal overlooked.