Ballon d’Or runner-up Sadio Mane has been ruled out of the 2022 World Cup for Senegal due to a leg injury.
The Bayern Munich forward had injured his right fibula at club level against Werder Bremen almost a fortnight ago but had been named in Senegal’s initial 26-man squad.
However, the Senegalese Football Federation confirmed on Thursday that the 30-year-old star striker was out.
“Unfortunately, todays MRI shows us that the improvement is not as favourable as we imagined and unfortunately, we have to withdraw Sadio from the World Cup,” Senegal team doctor Manuel Afonso said.
Mane will need to undergo surgery to his right fibula before he can return to action, with that timeframe unknown for Bayern.
Senegal, who are grouped with hosts Qatar, Ecuador and the Netherlands, open their campaign against the Dutch on Monday.
The Lions of Teranga are the current African champions, with Mane having scored the decisive penalty in a shootout in the final victory over Egypt.
Senegal qualified for the World Cup on penalties against Egypt again in the third round playoffs.
Mane has 93 caps for Senegal, scoring 34 goals, including netting at the 2018 World Cup against Japan.
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