Sadio Mane of Senegal was pulled off with a knee injury 20 minutes into Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen, just 12 days before the World Cup.
The former Liverpool forward was taken off barely 20 minutes into Bayern’s 6-1 triumph against Bremen on Tuesday night, raising serious concerns about his fitness for the tournament in Qatar, which begins in less than two weeks.
The score was still tied at one goal apiece when Sadio Mane was dismissed, even though the Bundesliga leaders ultimately prevailed.
However, according to L’Equipe, he will not compete, inflicting a big blow to Senegal and Aliou Cissé, the defending Africa Cup of Nations champions.
The captain of Senegal is thought to have sustained a tendon injury and is expected to miss “several weeks,” according to reports gathered by the resourceful team of editors at www.atspo.com from L’Equipe, giving his national team coach Aliou Cissé a major headache just days before announcing his World Cup squad.
The information from Bayern Munich’s head coach contradicts what L’Equipe reported, leaving Sadio out of the Senegal squad.
After initially stating that the player had suffered a blow to the tibia and that he was hoping it was “not a big injury,” Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann said the player would have an X-ray to ascertain the severity of the injury.
Sadio Mane was the subject of an official statement following Bayern Munich’s victory over Werder Bremen on Tuesday night. This statement attempted to avoid excluding Mane from the World Cup by stating that he will undergo “additional tests.”
The club officially stated, “Sadio Mane sustained an injury to his right fibula. He’s out of the game against Schalke this Saturday. Further tests will follow in the next few days. FC Bayern is in contact with the medical staff of the Senegalese Football Association.”
Sadio Mane, the former Liverpool talisman, has reacted via Twitter to his injury, which has caused concern among Senegalese, his colleagues on the Senegal national team, and the head coach.
A caption on @TheSadioMane reads, “Left with no words right now.”
