Sadio Mane has been included in Senegal’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar despite suffering an injury scare on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old forward was forced off in the first half of Bayern Munich’s 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen.
The German champions said he had an injury “to the head of his right fibula” and will miss Saturday’s game against Schalke.
📋✅ 𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨 26 𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 retenus par le sélectionneur national Aliou Cissé pour disputer la Coupe du monde 2022. #FIFAWorldCup | #MankoWutiNdamli pic.twitter.com/EbwBPlpI7i
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Senegal begin their Group A campaign against the Netherlands on 21 November.
“We are monitoring the situation and have sent one of our doctors to assess him,” Senegal coach Alioy Cisse said at a press conference in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Friday.
“On Thursday, Sadio spent the whole day in Munich before travelling to Austria for further tests. The good news is that he does not need an operation.
“We want the situation to evolve in two-three weeks. I don’t want to rule him out.”
Former Liverpool player Mane is Senegal’s star player and talisman, having scored the winning penalty when the Teranga Lions became continental champions for the first time in February, defeating Egypt in a shoot-out in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Less than two months later, Mane repeated the feat, netting the decisive spot-kick as Senegal beat Egypt – in a clash that again pitted him against then Liverpool team-mate Mohammed Salah – on penalties in a crunch play-off to qualify for Qatar.
As his country’s record goalscorer, with 34 goals in 93 caps, Mane’s fitness is key to Senegal’s chances and Cisse will be sweating on this ahead of their opener against the Dutch, with matches against hosts Qatar (25 November) and Ecuador (29 November) to follow.
Chelsea centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly will captain a squad which includes Blues goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Everton midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye, Nottingham Forest midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and Leicester City’s Nampalys Mendy.
Tottenham’s Pape Matar Sarr, Queens Park Rangers keeper Seny Dieng, Watford forward Ismaila Sarr and Sheffield United striker Iliman Ndiaye have also been named in the squad by Cisse.
