Senegal forward Sadio Mane has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a leg injury he sustained while playing for Bayern Munich.

Senegal had high hopes that their star forward, Mane, would help them go far in the tournament in Qatar. Mane’s exclusion is a cruel blow to those hopes.

Mane hurt his shin while playing for Bayern Munich earlier this month, but he was still put on the World Cup team in case he could get back in shape. On Thursday, Senegal announced that the former Liverpool player would not be able to make it.

“Unfortunately, today’s MRI shows us that the improvement is not as favourable as we imagined and unfortunately we have to withdraw Sadio from the World Cup,” team doctor Manuel Afonso said in a video on the official Senegal team Twitter account.

Teams are still making their way to Qatar after finishing last-minute preparations. The tournament starts on Sunday.

Germany arrived in Doha on Thursday, right after beating Oman 1-0 in a friendly match.

The team that won the World Cup in 2014 wants to forget about their bad performance in Russia four years ago, when they lost in the group stage.

Most of the 32 teams have chosen to stay in or around Doha, but Germany has chosen to stay in Al-Ruwais, a seaside town 68 miles (111 km) from the capital.

“We want to develop a team spirit there that will carry us through the tournament — and for as long as possible,” team official Oliver Bierhoff said.

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