Senegal star Sadio Mane looks set to miss the World Cup after picking up an injury playing for Bayern Munich that will keep him sidelined for several weeks, according to reports.
The former Liverpool attacker was withdrawn after just 20 minutes of Tuesday night’s 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen, though Bayern initially played down the severity of the problem.
But Mane underwent a scan on Wednesday and French newspaper L’Equipe claim the injury to his tendon means he will be unable to play for several weeks, ruling him out of the World Cup.
Senegal are due to play their first match of the tournament against the Netherlands on Monday 21 November under two weeks’ time – with further matches against Qatar and Ecuador before the end of the month.
Mane’s absence is not yet officially confirmed, but he is not expected to make the cut when Senegal boss Aliou Cisse names his squad for the tournament in Qatar on Friday.
Speaking after Tuesday’s match, Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann had initially played down fears of Mane missing the World Cup, saying: ‘I can’t say anything for sure, he took a blow to the head of his shin.
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‘That’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.
Mane joins an ever-growing list of players who will miss the World Cup, with the likes of Diogo Jota, Paul Pogba, Timo Werner and N’Golo Kante all ruled out of the tournament.
