The surgery went well – that’s the most important aspect of Sadio Mane’s road to fitness. When he picked up the injury in the Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen, few could predict that the ailment was so severe. Still, the Senegalese captain had to miss the World Cup due to a tendon rupture in his right fibula. Besides it, he also had to mend his broken heart – because missing the most significant tournament was a heavy blow for the AFCON holders.But the World Cup stayed in 2022. It’s 2023, and there is a lot of football still to be played. Mane is recovering satisfactorily and should be fully fit in a month.##NAJAVA_MECA_6923523##Ironically, there is another trip to Qatar – and Mane will have to sit it out as well. This time is not with the Teranga Lions but with his club. When Bayern flies from Munich Airport to the training camp in Doha on Friday morning, a quartet will be missing. Sadio Mane, Lucas Hernandez, Manuel Neuer and Bouna Sarr will not make the trip.German website Kicker reports that, despite the steady recovery, regular training is currently out of the question for the 30-year-old forward. Therefore, he’ll continue his rehabilitation in Munich, where he has optimal conditions to make his rehabilitation go smoothly.Mane is set to return to team training in early February and has a good chance of being available in the Champions League round of 16 first leg away to Paris Saint-Germain on Valentine’s Day. Nobody from the club is ready to go on record and confirm this, but French daily L’Equipe claims that head coach Julian Nagelsmann and his staff are optimistic. Of course, there is still the question of form the former Liverpool star will be in after a three-month break.Sadio Mane is involved in 15 goals (11G+4A) in 23 games for Bayern Munich this season! 👑 pic.twitter.com/3B37FfGMDH— BayernTimes (@BayernTimes) January 4, 2023 Not surprisingly, goalkeeper Neuer (broken tibia and fibula) and Lucas Hernandez (ruptured cruciate ligament) are also absent, as is Bouna Sarr, who worked individually at Bayern’s training centre on Wednesday. Some talented youngsters will strengthen the squad in Qatar instead to make up the numbers and gain some much-needed experience of working with the first team.Only in Doha will the so-far absent quintet join the team. Those who stayed at the World Cup the longest, the defeated finalists Dayot Upamecano, Kingsley Coman and Benjamin Pavard, Moroccan Noussair Mazraoui and Croat Josip Stanisic.
