Sadio Mane’s fitness has been a major cause of concern for Senegal© AFP
Sadio Mane is still in Munich recovering from injury while Senegal prepare for their opening match of the World Cup, a source from the country’s football association told AFP on Thursday. Bayern Munich star Mane was not present at Thursday’s training session with his national team due to a right fibula injury he picked up during a 6-1 thumping of Werder Bremen earlier this month. Senegal begin their Group A campaign on Monday against the Netherlands, before also taking on hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
Mane’s fitness has been a major cause of concern for Senegal, who claimed their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in February.
The 30-year-old finished second in this year’s Ballon d’Or voting behind Karim Benzema and scored the winning penalty in a dramatic shootout victory against Egypt in Cameroon. He repeated the feat again against the same opponents to qualify the Lions of Teranga for the World Cup, which starts on Sunday.
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