Senegal forward Sadio Mane has been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar in a crushing blow to his team’s chances, officials said on Thursday.
Mane had been a doubt for the tournament after picking up a leg injury playing for his German club Bayern Munich last week, and it has now been confirmed he will not recover in time.
Senegal Football Federation officials announced that further scans had revealed he will require surgery.
Mane is the talisman of the Senegal side and a key player for them in attack.
His absence will be a blow to their chances of advancing out of Group A, where they face the Netherlands on Monday before playing host nation Qatar and Ecuador.