'I'll be back with the group in two weeks'

Dembele became Barcelona's record signing during the summer after joining from Borussia Dortmund but he suffered a serious knee injury on September 16 on just his second league appearance for the Catalan giants.

The injury was expected to keep the 20-year-old out until the new year, but the player himself has confirmed that his recovery is going ahead of schedule and he could be set for an earlier return.

The France international returned to his former club Rennes this weekend to watch their 1-0 win over Lille, and speaking to some former team-mates and coaches at the Ligue 1 outfit in the dressing room before the game, Dembele confirmed that he would "be back with the group in two weeks"

'Canal+' caught the conversation on camera, in which the player reassured the Rennes coaches that the "injury is going well" and he would return ahead of schedule.

The young attacker also admitted that he still doesn't speak much Spanish just "a little bit, not much" and he hailed the Barcelona medical team who have worked "every single day" to help him recover quicker than expected.

"Encore deux semaines et après je passe avec le groupe" @Dembouz #Jplus1 pic.twitter.com/6tIivZ3tnn

— J+1 (@jplusun) November 26, 2017