Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has admitted that he is uncertain whether Ousmane Dembele will feature in the Club World Cup final on Sunday when the French champions face Chelsea in New York.
The forward, who starred in PSG’s 4-0 semi-final victory over Real Madrid, remains a fitness concern despite returning to the starting line-up for the first time in the tournament.
Dembele, born in France to a Mauritanian-Senegalese mother and a Malian father, has consistently battled injuries throughout the campaign.
His heritage, deeply rooted in West Africa, has long been a source of pride, even as he represents France internationally.
The PSG winger made a strong impression in the semi-final, assisting Fabian Ruiz’s opener just six minutes into the game before scoring himself three minutes later.
The performance reaffirmed his status as a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or, having already impressed in the Champions League final where PSG demolished Inter Milan 5-0 to complete a continental treble.
Luis Enrique was quick to laud Dembele’s impact after the semi-final, describing him as “a unique player” and “the best” in the PSG squad.
“I’d like to highlight that this is the first game that I had my best player, Dembele, at his best,” he said.
“We’d seen him very little throughout this tournament. This is a critical player, a unique player, a player that every fan wants to see… hopefully we can have him for the final.”
Victory against Chelsea would complete an extraordinary season for PSG, capping a treble-winning campaign with global honours.
“We are one game away to not just make history but to build to history of Paris, of a French club that might get every cup, every tournament,” Luis Enrique said.
Dembele’s fitness, however, remains the final piece of the puzzle.
