Just 35 minutes had been played in the Bundesliga match between Leipzig and Hamburg when Ouedraogo stayed down after a challenge with HSV player Albert Grönbäk. The diagnosis is still pending, but the pictures spoke for themselves: the 20-year-old midfielder immediately grabbed his shoulder and had to go off before half-time.
Now he is facing another spell out. Next Thursday brings Jürgen Klopp's first squad nomination. The new Germany coach is set for a quartet of Nations League matches, but for his first games he is now expected to be without the Leipzig professional. For the youngster, it is another setback in a career already plagued by bad luck.
Back in August, the Mülheim native had already endured a difficult summer pre-season. A capsule injury to his right shoulder kept him out for weeks.
Getty ImagesAssan Ouedraogo made his full debut against HSV
Against a toothless HSV, the 20-year-old made his long-awaited first start of the current Bundesliga season. Before that, Ouedraogo had only featured in the week in the Champions League against Como 1907 (1-4) after coming on as a substitute.
That early momentum has now come to an abrupt halt, and Leipzig's officials will be worried above all. After the emphatic win against the Hanseatic side, RB head coach Martin Demichelis suggested the youngster has probably suffered another injury in the same place.
"It doesn't look good," he said. "He was ready to play. We waited until he was healthy."
Getty ImagesAssan Ouedraogo: "I haven't seen such a good No 8 in this position with this kind of talent for a long time"
In Saxony, the former Schalke player's standing remains undiminished. Demichelis underlined the qualities of his protégé: "We need him. He is a brutal talent, for Germany and our club." The RB coach stressed that he had "not seen such a good No 8 in this position with this kind of talent for a long time".
Yet the midfielder's medical record is becoming an increasing problem. Since his move from Schalke to RB Leipzig two years ago, repeated injuries have regularly disrupted Ouedraogo's rhythm. The youngster has so far managed only 27 competitive appearances in an RB shirt. His return of four goals and four assists at least hints at his potential.
With Germany, his story has also been mixed so far. Under Klopp's predecessor Julian Nagelsmann, the Leipzig player made it into the Germany World Cup squad in the summer as a late addition after Bayern talent Lennart Karl was injured in preparation. However, he was denied a tournament appearance in North America. So far, Ouedraogo has one international cap to his name, in which he scored on his debut.