Official: Senegal announce 26-man FIFA World Cup squad with injury doubt Sadio Mane included
Senegal have included Sadio Mane in their 26-man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, despite the forward being an injury doubt.
The former Liverpool attacker recently suffered a leg injury in the lead-up to the tournament, which cast doubts over his involvement. Mane is the talisman of the national team. He played a crucial part in their qualification and scored the winning penalty during their AFCON victory over Egypt in the final.
You can view the nation's 26-man squad below:
Sadio Mané has been called up for Senegal's World Cup squad 🇸🇳 https://t.co/DZVlT3gvLV
Mane finished second in the Ballon d'Or running this year after helping Liverpool to the Champions League final and has been one of world football's leading forwards for a number of years.
The attacker has endured a mixed spell at Bayern Munich since his summer move, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists in his 23 appearances.
Elsewhere in the Senegal squad, Kalidou Koulibaly has been included, despite his poor start to life at Premier League giants Chelsea. The defender will captain his country at the tournament but hasn't played a part in any of the Blues' three most recent top-flight encounters.
Koulibaly will be joined by his Chelsea teammate Edouard Mendy, who has also lost form and his place as the Blues' number-one goalkeeper. Idrissa Gana Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate and Nampalys Mendy are the other Premier League players included in the side's FIFA World Cup squad.
Sadio Mané WILL be at the World Cup 😍 https://t.co/czsQirvJk4
Senegal will use 'witch doctors' to help Sadio Mane be fit for upcoming FIFA World Cup
The African champions are prepared to use desperate measures to ensure their star player is fit for the FIFA World Cup. Senegalese senior executive Fatma Samoura, who is FIFA’s first female secretary general, has stated that her country is willing to use unorthodox methods to help Mane.
Samoura told Europe 1 (via talkSPORT):
“We are going to use witch doctors. I don’t know (if they’re effective) but in this instance, we’re going to use them anyway. We are hoping for miracles. He has to be there!”
Mane suffered a fibula injury during Bayern's 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen on Tuesday, 8 November.
The Bundesliga champions have since released a statement that confirmed that the former Liverpool superstar would miss their upcoming clash with Schalke. This news cast serious doubts about whether he will be fit for FIFA World Cup.
Sadio Mane is included in Senegal’s World Cup squad 🇸🇳 https://t.co/u8VBKuT9MP