Sadio Mane has endured rotten luck just two weeks before the start of the World Cup in Qatar. Bayern Munich winger was fighting against time to be fit for the showpiece event since he suffered an injury to his tibia during last week’s 6-1 win against Werder Bremen. The 30-year-old forward efforts are set to go in vain as Senegal has ruled him out for the World Cup.
The Senegal FA confirmed on Thursday that the recovery of Sadio Mane is not going as expected, and he will miss the World Cup in Qatar. Senegal had included him in the squad with the hope of having him available for a few games. He underwent surgery on Thursday evening.
It was a cruel situation for Sadio Mane since he was very eager to play at the biggest event in football. He played a crucial role in Senegal’s qualification for the World Cup. Moreover, the timing of the injury adds more agony since he was very close to playing in the showpiece event.
Mane’s injury is a big blow to Senegal’s hopes of going deep in the World Cup. He has been their talisman in the final third. Earlier this year, Mane played a big role in helping Senegal to win their maiden AFCON title.
ℹ️ Sadio Mané underwent successful surgery in Innsbruck on Thursday evening. He will therefore no longer be available to play for Senegal at the World Cup.
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) November 17, 2022
All the best for your recovery, Sadio! ❤️
Bayern had previously predicted that Mane would miss the World Cup after the diagnosis of the injury. However, Senegal FA was hopeful about a miraculous recovery. It remains to be seen how long Mane will take to get back to complete fitness. Bayern’s next game is in the third week of January, so he has enough time to recover from this injury.
Meanwhile, Alphonso Davies continues to work on his fitness in Munich. The 20-year-old left-back will be fit in time for Canada’s opening game against Belgium on November 23. Davies had suffered an injury during the 3-2 win against Hertha Berlin on November 5.
Apart from Mane, Bouna Sarr is also on the sidelines for Bayern. The experienced full-back will return to action in January after missing the majority of Hinrunde due to a knee injury. He may have to look for a new club in January since he will struggle to get playing time under Julian Nagelsmann.
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Bayern will be hoping all the first-team players perform well at the World Cup and avoid injuries. They ended Hinrunde strongly by opening up a four-point lead at the top of the points table. Julian Nagelsmann will hope to maintain this momentum when the team resumes Bundesliga action after the winter break.