Senegal have confirmed that Sadio Mane will take no part in the 2022 World Cup as a result of his injury.
The Bayern Munich forward had initially been expected to miss the tournament anyway but he was included in Senegal’s final World Cup squad, even though the African nation acknowledged that they were likely to be without Mane for the first few games.
However, Senegal have now admitted defeat in their attempts to get Mane back fit and have formally ruled him out of the tournament.
“Unfortunately, today’s MRI scan shows us that the evolution of the injury is not as positive as we had hoped and we unfortunately have to declare Sadio’s withdrawal from the World Cup,” said team doctor Manuel Afonso.
Senegal had previously admitted that they were prepared to do whatever they could to get Mane back in time, with high-ranking officials even confessing they planned to use a witch doctor to help the Bayern forward recover, but their efforts have been futile.
Mane was diagnosed with what Bayern described as an injury to the head of his right fibula following his side’s 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen on November 8, but the German side were initially confident that Mane’s issue was little more than a knock.
However, reports soon emerged revealing the extent of Mane’s injury, which is not believed to be particularly serious and does not require surgery, but the timing of the problem has ultimately cost Mane his chance to appear at his second World Cup.
Credit: 90min.com
