Senegal has declared that Moussa N’Diaye has Sadio Mane’s replacement in their World Cup lineup.
Mane was forced to withdraw from the competition after sustaining a leg injury in Bayern Munich’s last match before the World Cup break. He has now had surgery to resolve the problem.
The 30-year-old is unquestionably the nation’s talisman and was called up to Qatar despite questions about his health, but could not recuperate in time to participate in the tournament.
In a statement put on their website, Anderlecht stated that 20-year-old N’Diaye has been called up to replace Mane and will fly to Qatar today to join his colleagues already in camp.
It is rather surprising given that N’Diaye is a left-back by profession and so is not a direct replacement for the injured Mane.
N’Diaye has appeared 13 times in all competitions for the Belgian team so far this season after his summer transfer from Barcelona B. However, despite having represented his country in the Under-20 World Cup, he has yet to receive full international recognition.
Senegal now has just six attackers to select from, including Watford’s Ismaila Sarr and Marseille’s Bamba Dieng, due to the addition of a defensive option in lieu of Mane.
