Senegal international Sadio Mane was dealt a crushing injury blow ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup when it was announced he'd sustained an ailment that would cost him some time. Unavailable for Bayern Munich's tilt on Saturday against Schalke, Mane's chances of playing in the World Cup took a major blow. In a surprise admission, however, Senegal boss Aliou Cisse claimed he'd still consider picking Mane for the World Cup squad, even if he'd be forced to miss a chunk of the group stage. (Via RMC Sport)

Fans were devastated to learn of Mane's injury, and it was quickly speculated that he'd be unable to participate in the 2022 World Cup for Senegal. While the injury does figure to sideline him for at least a few games, Cisse expressed enough confidence in Mane to potentially pick him even if he were unavailable in the early portion of the group stages.

Far and away Senegal's most critical player, not having Mane would be a brutal loss for the nation's World Cup dreams, and Cisse is well aware of that. An injury just a couple of weeks before the World Cup would typically see most players left off the squad list, but that may not end up being the case for Mane, who can make vital contributions when healthy.

Across all international competitions, Sadio Mane has made 93 caps for Senegal. He is the country's all-time leading goal scorer with 34 and has made the third-most appearances in Senegal football history, behind Henri Camara (99 caps) and Idrissa Gueye of Everton (96 caps).