Concerns were raised immediately for Sadio Mané and Senegal’s 2022 FIFA World Cup hopes after the Bayern Munich star was forced off in Tuesday’s Bundesliga clash against Werder Bremen due to injury and the worst fears may be true. L’Équipe has reported that Mané suffered a tendon injury in his knee that will keep him out for a few weeks at the minimum and out of contention to be in Senegal manager Aliou Cissé’s squad. The Senegalese Football Federation has not confirmed the news yet and will conduct their own evaluations after Bayern Munich performs further tests.
Early reports from the Bayern Munich medical staff indicated the knock was not going to be serious but more certainty will arrive following scans of the knee of Mané. Senegal will have a few quality options to replace Mané with Bamba Dieng high on the list of replacements but there is no replacing the superstar’s talismanic presence, leaving Group A wide open in Qatar as Senegal’s chances of advancing take a serious blow.
