Ousmane Dembele could yet return in time for Barcelona's Clasico clash with Real Madrid in December, according to the specialist who operated on the Frenchman.
Barca's club-record €105 million signing suffered a hamstring tear in just his third game for the Catalan giants, with initial assessments suggesting he would miss the rest of 2017.
But Dembele is recovering ahead of schedule and, following his return to light training, specialist Sakari Orava could not rule out an appearance at Santiago Bernabeu on December 23.
"[The recovery] is going quicker than expected," Orava told Cadena SER.