Senegal’s Sadio Mane is set to be ruled out of the World Cup with an injury suffered in Bayern Munich’s 6-1 Bundesliga win over Werder Bremen, according to L’Equipe. Mane seemed to be involved in a fairly innocuous collision in the first-half of the encounter at the Allianz Arena, but with Senegal’s first match of the Qatar showpiece just 12 days away, it looks serious enough to rule him out.
As Senegal’s talisman, and the player who scored the penalty to secure their place in this year’s tournament, it’s a monumental blow for Mane and his country.
He is the star player in a Senegal side who many believe are in the midst of their ‘golden generation’, with Mane scoring the winning penalty as they beat Mohammed Sallah’s Egypt to win the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
His absence from the tournament means he will miss out on a reunion with his former Liverpool team-mate Virgil Van Dijk , with both Senegal and the Netherlands both drawn in Group A.
Liverpool supporters have reacted to heartbreaking news of Mane’s injury on social media.
Just 15 minutes into their encounter with Werder Bremen the 30-year-old went doing holding his right leg and signalled for Bayern’s medical team to come onto the pitch.
It’s clear that Nagelsmann didn’t want to risk furthering Mane’s injury and withdrew the Senegal star for former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane.
Mane’s absence will be felt massively in the Senegal camp – the man who has picked up 93 caps for his country and scored 34 times.
Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann had initially said of the injury post-match: “It’s an unpleasant spot, it radiates a bit into the muscles.
“I think he has to go to the X-ray to see if there is something there, because it is splintering easily.
“But I hope that nothing is wrong. I can’t say anything for sure yet.”
SADIO MANE FOR SENEGAL
Caps: 93
Goals: 34
Honours
Africa Cup of Nations – 2021
Runners up – 2019
More to follow
