Taken off in the 35th minute, the shoulder has flared up again
RB Leipzig hammered Hamburg 5-0 on Sunday. It should have been the sort of night that told everyone exactly where they stand. Instead, it ended with a real concern.
Assan Ouedraogo, named in the starting line-up, was forced off in the 35th minute after a clash with Albert Gronbaek. The 20-year-old midfielder could not continue.
Martin Demichelis, Leipzig’s head coach, did little to calm nerves afterwards. “I think it’s the same injury. It doesn’t look good. We need him. He’s an incredible talent, for Germany and for our club.”
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A body that has been breaking down since 2024
Same injury. Those three words carry real weight, because Ouedraogo had already missed the whole of August for the same problem. Six weeks on, it’s happening all over again.
One number tells the story. Since arriving at Leipzig in 2024, the midfielder has spent more than 380 days out. That’s well over a full year on the sidelines at an age when he should be banking minutes, not treatment-room visits. This time, too, insiders are talking about several weeks out.
It’s a bitter pill for the club to swallow. Every comeback points to the talent, every setback throws it straight back into doubt. Leipzig signed a player they were supposed to build around for the next decade, and they’re still waiting for him to get through a full season.
Klopp will unveil his first squad on Thursday
The timing could hardly be worse. Jürgen Klopp names his first squad in charge of Germany on Thursday, and Ouedraogo was one of the players the new coach would have had every reason to monitor closely.
He’ll almost certainly sit this one out. For a coach whose reputation was built on intensity and midfielders who can run all day, losing a player like this before the first camp even begins makes the job that much harder.
What happens next between Leipzig and the federation is the key question. A shoulder that gives up twice in six weeks is rarely fixed by rest alone.
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