Senegal's Sadio Mane has reportedly been ruled out of the World Cup after limping out of Bayern Munich's clash against Werder Bremen with a tendon injury.
The former Liverpool forward was taken off just 20 minutes into Bayern's 6-1 win over Bremen on Tuesday night - leading to huge fears about his fitness for Qatar just weeks before the tournament officially kicks off.
And according to L'Equipe, he will play no part in the competition for Senegal, dealing his nation a massive blow as they prepare to be without their talisman for their group stage against the Netherlands, Ecuador and hosts Qatar.
Sadio, je te souhaite prompt rétablissement suite à ta blessure lors du match Bayern-Werder Brême. Comme je te l’ai dit: Sadio, cœur de Lion ! De tout cœur avec toi !Dieu te bénisse !
— Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) November 9, 2022
Mane is believed to have suffered a tendon injury, L'Equipe adds, and is set for 'several weeks out', handing his national team coach Aliou Cisse a major headache just days before announcing his World Cup squad.
READ ALSO: Sadio Mane to undergo X-ray for injury as World Cup hopes thrown into jeopardy
His Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann said the player would have an X-ray to determine the extent of the injury after initially saying he had taken a blow to his tibia - and that he was hopeful it was 'not a big injury'.
'He took a knock to the head of his tibia,' he said. 'It's always uncomfortable. He has to have an X-ray. I hope nothing is wrong.
'I didn't see him after the game, I hope it's not a big injury. But I don't know at the moment', the Bayern boss continued. 'We'll see tomorrow and then give an update.'
Mane's absence will be felt massively in the Senegal camp - the man who has picked up 93 caps for his country and scored 34 times.
He led the way for the team on their way to winning this year's African Cup of Nations as they beat Egypt on penalties in the final.
Dailymail