Liverpool winger Sadio Mane suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty for Senegal and is expected to be out of action for a period of six weeks, the club confirmed.
“Sadio Mane is facing a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury on international duty,” Liverpool stated.
The winger was substituted 89 minutes into Senegal’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over the Cape Verde Islands on Saturday.
“And it has now been confirmed that he picked up an injury during that fixture that could keep him out of action for up to six weeks,” the club added.
The news could not have come at a worse time for the Reds, who host arch-rivals Manchester United on Saturday.
While Liverpool have made a stuttering start to their season to lie in seventh place in the league table, United have gotten off to a flier and are second to Manchester City only on goal difference.
Mane is one of the most direct players in Liverpool’s starting XI and despite missing three games due to a previous suspension already, has scored thrice in seven appearances.
Liverpool fixtures which Mane is expected to miss:
Premier League: Manchester United (home) 14 October, Tottenham Hotspur (away) 22 October, Huddersfield Town (home) 28 October, West Ham United (away) November 4 and Southampton (home) 18 November.
UEFA Champions League: Maribor (away) 17 October, Maribor (home) 01 November and Sevilla (away) 21 November.