Senegal forward Sadio Mane has been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar in a crushing blow to his team’s chances after officials confirmed on Thursday he would need surgery on a leg injury sustained in the run-up to the tournament.
Mane had been a doubt for the west African side after injuring his right fibula playing for German club Bayern Munich.
“Unfortunately, today’s (Thursday) MRI shows us that the recovery is not as favourable as we hoped and we, unfortunately, resolve to declare Sadio’s withdrawal from the World Cup,” Senegal team doctor Manuel Afonso told reporters.