Valverde admits he 'knew the risks' he was taking with Dembele's hamstring

Ernesto Valverde gave a press conference on Saturday ahead of the game against Real Betis.

The coach spoke about many things, including the decision to risk Ousmane Dembele off the bench against Lyon. The France forward has since been ruled out for a month with a torn hamstring.

"Dembele felt really good," the Barça coach said. "We knew he had a small problem but he thought he would even be OK to start. I thought not but it in the end I brought him on. If things had gone differently, he would be in the squad this weekend and maybe he would get injured then."

The medical team have been blamed for Dembele re-injuring his hamstring. Valverde defended them, though, saying it was his decision and he knew the risk he was taking.

"As it was a vital game, I included him on the squad," he added. "With the way the match was going, it was the right moment [at 2-1] to take a risk, which we did, and now he will be out for three or four weeks.

"I knew the risk we were taking with him. The medical team do their work and the players do theirs but it's me that makes the decisions and it was a big game."