Senegal holds breath over talisman Mane making World Cup
FootballSadio Mane: Senegal Boss Aliou Cisse Provides Injury Update on Bayern Munich Star
- Senegal will be sweating about the fitness of Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane, who is currently nursing a tendon injury
- Mane is in Austria as the African Champions continue to monitor his situation, with the FIFA World Cup barely a week away
- Senegal manager Aliou Cisse has opted to remain positive, with Mane's fitness crucial for the side's progression to the latter stages
Senegal Head Coach Aliou Cisse has expressed his fears that star forward Sadio Mane might not recover in time for their opening game at the FIFA World Cup.
Senegal suffered a major setback, when Mane limped off during Bayern Munich's game against Werder Bremen after just 20 minutes.
He was initially ruled out of the whole tournament, but Senegal fans heaved a sigh of relief when Cisse included him in his final 26-man squad for the event.
Cisse has refused to rule the 30-year-old entirely, but admitted that the Netherlands tie on November 21 might come too soon for him.
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"We are monitoring the situation around Sadio. We sent a doctor from the FA to him two days ago. Yesterday, he spent the whole day in Munich and then he travelled to Austria for further exams," he said as quoted by Sports Mole.
Cisse said the good news is that Mane's injury will not necessitate an operation.
"We are hoping for the situation to evolve in two to three weeks. We will do our best to have him back. I don't want to rule him out," he added.
Cisse will be sweating about Mane's fitness but should he fail to recover in time, Watford's Ismaila Sarr and Marseille's Bamba Dieng will be expected to step up and fill the void.
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Sports Brief had earlier reported that Mane is racing against time to be fit for the World Cup, after Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse included him in his final 26-man squad.
Previous reports had initially ruled Mane out of the Mundial entirely, after he sustained a tendon injury during Bayern Munich's game against Werder Bremen.
Cisse has also called up his reliable old guard in Chelsea's duo Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, Everton's Idrissa Gueye and Watford's Ismaila Sarr.