World Cup 2022: Senegal forward Sadio Mane has knee surgery
- Published
Mane has scored 11 goals in 23 games in all competitions for Bayern Munich this season
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Senegal forward Sadio Mane has had surgery on the knee injury that ruled him out of the World Cup.
On Tuesday Senegal said he would miss their "first games" at the tournament, but a further MRI scan on Thursday showed an operation was needed.
Mane, 30, suffered the injury during Bayern Munich's win over Werder Bremen on 8 November.
Bayern said he had "successful surgery", external on Thursday to attach a tendon to the head of his right fibula.
"The forward will begin his rehab in Munich in the next few days," they said.
Senegal manager Aliou Cisse has decided to keep Sadio Mane on the original squad list.
Senegal start their World Cup Group A campaign against the Netherlands on Monday. They play hosts Qatar on Friday and Ecuador on 29 November.
Two-time African Footballer of the Year Mane is Senegal's talisman and scored the winning penalty in the shootout when they lifted the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in February.
Less than two months later Mane again scored the decisive spot-kick as Senegal beat Egypt on penalties in a play-off to qualify for the World Cup.
Analysis
John Bennett, BBC World Service in Doha
This will be heartbreaking for Mane after a year when everything was going like a dream for him at international level.
His performances in helping Senegal win the Cup of Nations and qualify for the World Cup, combined with his displays in the first half of the year with Liverpool, helped the Bayern Munich forward to be voted in second place for the Ballon d'Or award.
Only an inspired Karim Benzema stopped him becoming the first African player since George Weah to win that accolade. But the best was yet to come; Mane was hoping to help Senegal to emulate the nation's class of 2002 and make it to at least the quarter-finals in Qatar.
Now, without their talisman, it's going to be extremely difficult for Senegal to make an impression here in Qatar. They have other quality players such as Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Ismaila Sarr but Mane is their inspiration and game-changer. A sad moment for Mane and for the whole of Senegal.
Senegal squad
Goalkeepers: Seny Dieng (Queens Park Rangers), Alfred Gomis (Rennes), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea).
Defenders: Fode Ballo-Toure (AC Milan), Pape Abdou Cisse (Olympiakos), Abdou Diallo (RB Leipzig), Ismail Jakobs (Monaco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Formose Mendy (Amiens), Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis).
Midfielders: Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Marseille), Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest), Mamadou Loum Ndiaye (Reading), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City), Moustapha Name (Pafos), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham).
Forwards: Boulaye Dia (Salernitana), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor), Bamba Dieng (Marseille), Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal), Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich), Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United), Ismaila Sarr (Watford).
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