By Victor Kanayo
Despite injury concerns, Senegalese Coach Aliou Cisse has included Bayern Munich football star, Sadio Mane, as part of the 26-man squad heading to Qatar to prosecute 2022 World Cup.
Mane was injured while featuring for club on Tuesday November 8.
The 30-year-old striker, whose decisive penalty kicks won both the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualification for his country earlier this year, will not be available for Bayen when they face Schalke 04 this weekend.
Explaining why Mane was included in his team, Cisse at a news conference in Dakar on Friday, said he was confident Mane could recover in time to play at the tournament.
He said Senegal had sent the Senegalese federation’s doctor to examine Mane on Thursday and had been told he would not require surgery.
“That’s very good news and we now have the chance to try and get him fit for the tournament. We now have two weeks to observe and see how the injury reacts to treatment,” Cisse said.
“I prefer to keep him in the squad because he is such an important part of us.”
The coach used the example of Watford attacker Ismaila Sarr, who had been injured going into January’s Africa Cup of Nations finals, but was included in the squad and recovered after the first round to contribute to Senegal’s success in the tournament.
“We will do all in our power to ensure we can recover Mane in time to play,” Cisse added.
Cisse kept faith with the majority of the squad that won the Cup of Nations in Cameroon but did include Monaco defender Ismail Jakobs and strikers Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal) and Ilimane Ndiaye (Sheffield United), who earned their first caps after World Cup qualification was secured in March.
“The players chosen correspond with our vision and philosophy. They are competitors of a high level,” said Cisse, who had his contract as coach extended by a further two years on Thursday.
Chelsea goalkeeper Eduoard Mendy is among top players in Cisse’s squad.
