Senegal have confirmed that Sadio Mane will miss the World Cup as he requires surgery for the leg injury the Bayern Munich striker sustained earlier this month.

The former Liverpool star, who moved to Munich in the summer, injured his leg in Bayern’s 6-1 win over Werder Bremen on November 8 but was still included in Senegal’s squad for the tournament in the hope he would be able to play some part in Qatar.

However, Mane has now been officially ruled out by Senegal, who will look to build on their Africa Cup of Nations success without their talisman, who was influential in their triumph earlier this year.

Mane is the latest high-profile name to be ruled out of the tournament, which is the first ever winter World Cup. Various other stars such as Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Mane’s ex-Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota have also been ruled out of the showpiece event due to injury.

Bayern had released a statement after Mane had sustained the injury following speculation that the 30-year-old would not be fit for the World Cup. The statement read: “Sadio Mane has suffered an injury to the head of his right fibula in FC Bayern’s 6-1 win against Werder Bremen. Africa’s Footballer of the Year will miss Saturday’s game against Schalke.

Kelvin Trudeau Musako

Football Journalist | TotalEnergies AFCON 2021 Photographer | Media Officer - Kabwe Warriors FC | Graphic Designer | Videographer