Ernesto Valverde's three options to cover the absence of Dembele

Aleix Vidal, Paco Alcácer y Gerard Deulofeu son las opciones con las que cuenta en estos momentos Ernesto Valverde | I. Paredes/ J. Monfort/ V. Enrich

Juan Manuel Díaz

17/09/2017 Upd. on 29/09/2017 at 12:03 CEST

The Barça boss will have to look within his squad to find a replacement

Deulofeu's the obvious choice but there are other options as well

The serious injury suffered by Ousmane Dembele on Saturday will rule him out until 2018 and obliges Ernesto Valverde to change his plans. The Barcelona coach must look within his squad for an alternative to complete his front line with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

FIRST OPTION: Deulofeu

Without doubt, Gerard Deulofeu has the advantage from the start. The La Masia graduate replaced Dembele at Getafe and is naturally a winger and the player with the most similar qualities to the French international -- even though they're also quite different. Deulofeu has made six appearances for Barça so far this season and has set up two goals.

Paco AlcAcer & Aleix Vidal

As a forward, Paco Alcacer is also an option. However, his qualities are very different to Dembele. The former Valencia striker is a box player, a goal scorer. Despite that, he's played on the wing when he's been asked to and could be an option for Valverde. He has made three appearances this season and created two goals.

Aleix Vidal's case is a special one. Even though he featured regularly at the start of the season, he has disappeared from the squad in recent weeks. Valverde says there is no problem and he counts on him, but something seems strange. In reality, Aleix is a winger converted into a full-back. He has always felt most comfortable in attack and has played there this season. The absence of Dembele could see him play there once again. So far in the current campaign he has made three appearances.

Denis & Arda Turan?

In principle, we're talking about two midfielders who are very different in their skillsets to Dembele.

Denis Suarez is a midfield player who can play wide, though. In addition, Valverde values his versatility and the youngster demonstrated his quality in the win against Getafe with a goal. He has featured four times this season and has one goal to his name.