Gist Coven

Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele has been ruled out for “three to four weeks” in a new blow for the French forward, his club announced on Monday. Dembele hurt himself after coming off the bench in the second half of Sunday’s 4-2 win away to Real Sociedad in La Liga. The injury is different to the hamstring tear that ruled him out for three and half months. “After the game against Real Sociedad, Dembele had a problem with his left thigh and tests have confirmed that the player has suffered a hamstring injury of the semitendinosus muscle that does not affect the area operated on earlier in the season,” Barcelona said in a statement published on their website. “The injury will mean he will be out for a period of around three to four weeks.” He now faces a race against time to be ready for the first leg of Barca’s Champions League tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on February 20. Dembele only returned at the start of this month after tearing his hamstring in September. The...

Juventus goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon has explained why he shocked one supporter by giving him his shorts after Wednesday’s Champions League draw against Barcelona. Buffon returned to Juve squad for the first time since his emotional retirement from international football after Italy’s failure to qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup. The 39-year-old, who was excited after the match, ran to hug Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic following a social media exchange on the eve of the game when the Croatian had said he would love to tell Buffon to take his place in the 2018 World Cup. After embracing Rakitic, the Italian keeper then pulled off his orange shorts and ran towards the tunnel to salute the delighted fans. Buffon, who earned a record 175 caps for Italy over 20 years, had been targeting a record sixth World Cup appearance in Russia. The goalkeeper took to his Twitter account to explain what it meant to him after giving the supporter his shorts. He wrote, “This is only a point...

Sturridge want Liverpool exit Daniel Sturridge is prepared to leave Liverpool in January in order to save his World Cup dream, reports the Mirror. The Reds were initially against a loan deal, after enquiries from Paris Saint-Germain last January, but may be open to such a deal after Jurgen Klopp failed to use the England striker in the 3-0 victory against Southampton this weekend.The player is hopeful that Liverpool will put a realistic price tag on him to attract interest, with a late run of games likely to make Gareth Southgate consider him once again for his final tournament squad. After being overlooked for the Three Lions' friendlies with Germany and Brazil, Sturridge now feels that just eight Premier League appearances, including two goals, will not be enough game time to remain in contention. Man Utd Handed Huge Boost As Barca Hesitate Over €100m Move Manchester United have been handed a boost in their reported pursuit of an Atletico Madrid star as one of the...