Gareth Southgate has insisted that the absence of Sadio Mane from the Senegal team doesn’t mean England will necessarily be favourites for their last 16 clash against the African champions.
Former Liverpool star Mane injured his knee in a Bundesliga game for Bayern Munich on November 8th and lost his race to be fit for the World Cup, after having played the decisive role in leading them to the African Nations trophy last year, scoring the winning penalty.
But Southgate said that with Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly, Leicester’s Nampalys Mendy, Crystal Palace’s Cheikhou Kouyate and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, Senegal still have more than enough quality to worry any team.