Until the very end, the Senegalese national team had hopes that Sadio Mané could still make it. But on Thursday evening came the sobering news: the African country will have to take part in the World Cup in Qatar, which begins on Sunday, without its superstar.

The attacker, who is under contract with FC Bayern Munich, suffered an injury to his right fibula head during the league game against Werder Bremen at the beginning of the month, which was apparently worse than initially thought. Mané underwent surgery in Innsbruck on Thursday evening, as the club announced. A tendon was reattached during the operation.

Until Thursday, the African champions had assumed that Mané would still be able to enter the tournament. But this is now impossible due to the operation, as Senegal's team doctor Manuel Afonso confirmed at a press conference on Thursday.

It is not yet clear how long the 30-year-old will be out. But in all probability Sadio Mané, who became English champion and Champions League winner with Liverpool FC under Jürgen Klopp, will be out for a longer period of time. As reported by the "Bild" newspaper, the attacker could be absent for up to three months.

This would also jeopardize the round of 16 in the Champions League. FC Bayern has been drawn a particularly difficult opponent: In the round of 16, the German will meet the French champions Paris Saint-Germain with the superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar on February 14, 2023. Of course, Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann could use a fast-moving and dangerous player like Sadio Mané.

However, the loss is likely to be even more serious for the Senegal national team: Mané is the undisputed star of the team. In February of this year, the "Lions of Teranga" won the Africa Cup. Sadio Mané scored the winning goal on penalties.

Source used: "Bild" newspaper