Dembele deals fresh Arsenal blow as he breaks silence on injury issue

Ousmane Dembele was forced off with 20 minutes to go of PSG's Champions League semi-final first leg win over Arsenal, leaving Luis Enrique sweating on the fitness of his star man

Ousmane Dembele has confirmed he will be 'fine' after being forced off with a hamstring injury during PSG's win over Arsenal. Luis Enrique's side travelled to the Gunners for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

Dembele scored the only goal of the game just three minutes in when he swept home from Joao Neves' cutback. But the French star was then forced to be substituted with 20 minutes left.

He left the pitch grimacing following a hamstring injury in his right leg, with Bradley Barcola replacing him. If Dembele is ruled out of the second leg, it would be a major boost to Arsenal's hopes of overturning the current deficit.

His goal at the Emirates was his 33rd of the season in all competitions and he has also notched 12 assists. Enrique's decision to make him the focal point of the team has transformed PSG's season and left them sweating on his fitness.

The Gunners will be hoping he is unable to recover in time to feature at the Parc des Princes next Wednesday. But those hopes have been dashed by Dembele himself, who delivered a parting message as he stepped onto the PSG team bus on Tuesday night.

According to RMC Sport, as he left the stadium and boarded the coach, Dembele said: "It's going to be fine." While the attacker is confident he will make a quick recovery, his boss Enrique was more conservative.

"I don't know," the Spaniard said when asked about Dembele's condition. "He'll undergo tests tomorrow. It's not serious. It's something very minor, but he's probably a doubt for the second leg.

"We're going to try to get Dembele back on the pitch. But we're a real team. If Ousmane can play, that's better. But if he doesn't, we'll still be a real team. We've been saying that since the start of the season."

Despite Enrique's wariness, Dembele's team-mates are also confident he will make a quick comeback. Achraf Hakimi, who Dembele spoke to before leaving the pitch, revealed the Frenchman reiterated his message to the press in private.

Hakimi told Canal+: "I spoke with him a little, he's calm, he told me he's fine. I hope he'll be with us next Tuesday. He did his job, he scored a goal, and he let us finish."

Enrique will certainly be keen to call on Dembele for the return leg back in the French capital next week. He admitted that his side had faced a difficult test against Arsenal and warned them they still face a battle to book their place in May's final.

"We're thinking about how difficult this match was, because the atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. But I think we showed our true mentality, we got off to a good start and we gave ourselves confidence," he added.

"I think it's a great moment for us, but we need to recover and think about the next match. The return leg will be difficult and tight. But we're very happy and I think we gave our fans something to cheer about.

"We know it will be difficult, that there will be moments of suffering, but with the support of our fans and with the character we've displayed, we will show what a real team we are. We're happy but we can improve. Everyone needs to know that."