Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
England's possible World Cup rivals Senegal dealt injury heartbreak with Sadio Mane out
If England face Senegal in the World Cup last 16, Sadio Mane won't feature after being ruled out through injury while in action for Bayern Munich.
Rio Ferdinand worried about racist abuse during 2022 World Cup
Senegal superstar Sadio Mane has suffered a heartbreaking injury less than two weeks before the 2022 World Cup starts in Qatar. And the 30-year-old forward has now been ruled out of the competition in a gut-wrenching blow for England's potential round-of-16 opponents.
Mane was withdrawn just 20 minutes into Bayern Munich's 6-1 thrashing of Werder Bremen on Tuesday night after suffering a tendon injury. On Wednesday morning, L'Equipe reported the worrying news that he would be out of action for several weeks and therefore miss the winter World Cup.
BILD have since confirmed that Mane will be absent from the tournament through injury in a crushing blow to Senegal's hopes. Senegal manager Aliou Cisse will announce his squad for Qatar on Friday, but the star who led his nation to 2022 Africa Cup of Nations glory won't be included.
The Teranga Lions are in Group A with hosts Qatar, Ecuador and the Netherlands and would've been confident of progressing into the knockout stages with the Ballon d'Or runner-up within Cisse's ranks. But the nation will have to make do without after the cruel blow to both their hopes and the World Cup in general, with numerous high-profile stars already missing out.
JUST IN: Liverpool braced for Jude Bellingham heartbreak amid Man City 'belief'
Mane is the latest headline name to be ruled out of the showcase, joining the likes of Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Timo Werner, Diego Jota, Georginio Wijnaldum and Ben Chilwell on the sidelines. And there are doubts over several other marquee names, further bringing into question how FIFA ever sanctioned a World Cup in Qatar, knowing it would take place mid-season.
Paulo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku, Reece James, Mike Maignan, Raphael Varane, Florian Wirtz, Dusan Vlahovic, Son Heung-min and Ronald Araujo are among those who have their respective nations sweating over their fitness. With less than two weeks before the big kick-off, time is running out to become available.
READ MORE: Reece James learns England World Cup fate after Gareth Southgate call
There was hope after Tuesday's game that Mane's injury wasn't fatal to his World Cup dreams. Bayern assistant Dino Toppmoller said: "He got hit in the leg, which caused a little nerve pain. Nothing too serious. His participation in the World Cup shouldn't be in jeopardy."
However, it seems like a matter of time before the former Liverpool ace confirms his World Cup absence. And the latest casualty will make the final few days of domestic fixtures uncomfortable viewing for fans and coaches who will want the remainder of the playing pool unscathed.
Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here.