PSG injury update: Dembele boost, Hakimi still the bigger doubt

Ousmane Dembélé has eased the tension around his own fitness, but Achraf Hakimi remains the more important injury question for Paris Saint Germain before the Champions League final against Arsenal. Dembele said, "I felt a slight discomfort and I preferred not to take any risks. I will be back on the pitch on May 30." Hakimi, though, has missed the last month with a thigh issue and is still trying to get himself through the final week cleanly.

Why Hakimi is still the main concern

Hakimi was in full team training on Tuesday after PSG were granted a few days off, which is the encouraging part of this story. He has also been named in Morocco's World Cup squad as he pushes to return in time for the final. But the other report on him is less positive, saying he is not expected to return to training until Wednesday, three days before the Champions League final. That is a tight window for a player who has been a near-constant presence in PSG's European run, with 12 Champions League appearances and a 6.77 rating before the thigh injury.

The question is not whether Hakimi can be involved at all, it is whether he is ready to start. The reports point in different directions, and PSG will have to manage that carefully across the last training sessions. For Luis Enrique, that is a far bigger selection issue than Dembele's brief scare.

Dembele gives PSG a cleaner attacking picture

Dembele's update matters because it removes one obvious worry from PSG's attack. He has scored 10 Ligue 1 goals and 7 Champions League goals this season, so his fitness carries real weight in a final. The stronger version of the story is not that PSG have no issues, because they clearly do. It is that one of their most dangerous forwards sounds ready, while the full-back who drives so much of their balance is still under pressure.

PSG even held an in-house friendly on Saturday with 20-minute halves while Dembele and Hakimi were absent, which shows how carefully they are trying to manage the build-up. Mikel Arteta will care far more about the uncertainty around Hakimi than the reassurance around Dembele. If PSG get both through the week, they look healthier. If they do not, the absence on the right side is the one Arsenal will fancy most.