Dembele injury worse than feared and he's out for the remainder of the season Barcelona Frenchman underwent tests on Tuesday

Quique Setien was at a loss as to explain just why Ousmane Dembele's participation in Monday's training session was cut short, however tests completed on Tuesday morning have shown the Frenchman has suffered a far worse injury than initially feared, and he will miss the rest of the 2019/20 season.

It appears the bad news surrounding Dembele simply won't stop, and with Barcelona having opted not to sign a replacement for Luis Suarez in January, in addition to letting Carles Perez leave, thus Setien is now in a difficult position.

Dembele initially walked out of Monday's training session after complaining about a feeling of discomfort, yet tests have revealed that it was a result of a complete rupture of the proximal tendon of the right femoral biceps.

This was a recurrence of the problem that had kept Dembele out of action since November and whilst Los Cules haven't offered a timetable for his recovery, the medical prognosis suggests that he will be absent for several months.

Injury problems have plagued the forward's career at the Camp Nou, with the former Borussia Dortmund sensation having missed 63 competitive matches since joining Barcelona as a result of fitness issues.

Setien has a very thin forward line with which to attack the final months of the season, something which makes success in both LaLiga Santander and the Champions League more difficult.

There are only three natural forwards in the senior squad - Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi and Ansu Fati - and it's worth remembering that Ansu is still technically an academy player.

Setien had been counting on Dembele's return, even name-checking the French international when quizzed on a possible late January signing, however such plans now lay in tatters and the Spaniard will have to find another, internal solution.