Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane will reportedly miss the World Cup after picking up an injury for Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
The Senegal forward was forced off with an apparent knee injury 20 minutes into Bayern’s 6-1 Bundesliga win over Werder Bremen.
Reports in France, via L’Equipe, and Senegal on Wednesday morning suggest Mane will be out for “several weeks” and will subsequently miss the World Cup, which gets underway in Qatar at the end of next week.
As Senegal’s talisman, and the player who scored the penalty to secure their place in this year’s tournament, it’s a monumental blow for Mane and his country.
He is the star player in a Senegal side who many believe are in the midst of their ‘golden generation’, with Mane scoring the winning penalty as they beat Mohamed Salah‘s Egypt to win the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
His absence from the tournament means he will miss out on a reunion with his former Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk, with both Senegal and the Netherlands both drawn in Group A.
Liverpool supporters have reacted to the heartbreaking news of Mane’s injury on social media.
