Injured Mane included in Senegal's World Cup squad

Senegal's Sadio Mane

Friday Nov 11, 2022. 16:18

Senegal talisman Sadio Mane has been named in Aliou Cisse’s 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar on November 20.

The 30-year-old forward cast doubt on his participation in the tournament after suffering a leg injury during Bayern Munich’s 6-1 hammering of Werder Bremen on Tuesday.

Mane lasted just 20 minutes of the Bundesliga encounter at the Allianz Arena and the Reds subsequently announced that he will miss Saturday’s game against Schalke with an injury to his right fibula.

However, Cisse had no hesitation in including the Lions of Teranga’s all-time leading goalscorer in his World Cup plans and insists the medical staff will leave no stone unturned to get their star player ready for the Group A opener against the Netherlands on November 21.

“We will do all in our power to ensure we can recover Mane in time to play,” Cisse said in announcing his final squad on Friday.

Commenting on the 26 players selected for national-team duty in Qatar, he added: “The players chosen correspond with our vision and philosophy. They are competitors of a high level.”

The majority of the players that helped the West Africans win their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in February were included, although there were a few surprises with Monaco defender Ismail Jakobs andSheffield United attacking midfielder Ilimane Ndiaye getting the nod, alongside the uncapped Nicolas Jackson of Villarreal.

Senegal’s World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Seny Dieng (Queens Park Rangers), Alfred Gomis (Stade Rennes), Eduoard Mendy (Chelsea);

Defenders: Fode Ballo Toure (AC Milan), Pape Abou Cisse (Olympiakos), Abdou Diallo (RB Leipzig), Ismail Jakobs (Monaco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Formose Mendy (Amiens), Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis);

Midfielders: Pathe Ismael Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Marseille), Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest), Mamadou Loum (Reading), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City), Moustapha Name (Pafos FC), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur);

Forwards: Boulaye Dia (Salernitana), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor), Bamba Dieng (Marseille), Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal), Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich), Ilimane Ndiaye (Sheffield United), Ismaila Sarr (Watford).