Sadio Mane to miss the World Cup following surgery

Sadio Mane will miss Senegal’s World Cup campaign following surgery on his injured knee tendon, the African nation confirmed on Friday.

Mane suffered a knee injury during Bayern Munich’s 6-1 demolition of Werder Bremen earlier in November, but was included in Senegal’s squad anyway. Following surgery, however, it has become clear that he can play no part in the competition. 

Mane went down injured 20 minutes into the Bremen match, following a seemingly innocuous challenge, and was subsequently substituted for Leroy Sane. Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann said that Mane would have an X-ray to determine the extent of the injury, after initially believing that the injury was related to his tibia. 

However, the injury was actually to a knee tendon and was more serious than first thought. Mane, the captain and star player for his nation, will therefore be absent during Senegal’s say in Qatar. 

Senegal will face hosts Qatar, Ecuador and the Netherlands in Group A at World Cup 2022, but must now do so without the talismanic figure. Former Liverpool player Mane helped his nation win the African Cup of Nations at the start of this year, before beating Egypt in a World Cup play-off fixture for the finals. 

At the 2018 World Cup, Mane scored against Japan in a 2-2 draw during the group stage, starting all three matches. Senegal were unlucky to be eliminated from the tournament, finishing third to second-placed Japan on fair play points. 

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