Senegal have confirmed that Sadio Mane is set to miss the World Cup due to the leg injury the Bayern Munich striker sustained earlier this month.
The former Liverpool forward, who moved to Munich in the summer, injured his leg in Bayern Munich's 6-1 win over Werder Bremen 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 teammate Diogo Jota have also been ruled out of the showpiece event due to injury.
Bayern Munich 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.
“Further examinations will follow in the coming days. FC Bayern is also in contact with the medical staff of the Senegalese Football Association.”
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