Sadio Mane’s injury not serious, ‘took him out as a precaution’, says Senegal coach Aliu Sisse

Sadio Mane’s replacement in Thursday’s World Cup qualifier for Senegal was nothing serious and was only taken as a precaution, coach Aliu Sisse said.

The Liverpool star left the field 27 minutes after a clash with a Togo defender in a 1-1 draw in Togo.

He seemed to have suffered a rib or hip injury, which the coach did not elaborate on later.

But Sisse told reporters: “Nothing bad. We took him out only as a precaution, not for anything serious.”

Senegal, who have already won their group and advanced into March’s decisive playoffs for a place at the Qatar World Cup, needed the last-gasp equalizer to avoid defeat.

“It’s true that Sadio Mane’s exit made us a little unsettled, he gave us something different,” the coach told a news conference.

Senegal concluded its qualifying campaign in Congo in Dakar on Sunday but it was unclear whether Mane would feature in that match.