Sadio Mane will not feature for Liverpool in their community shield clash against Manchester City on August 2nd after it was confirmed he won’t return until a day after the encounter.
Mane was part of the Senegal team that reached the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and has been given an extended break due to his exhaustions at the tournament.
Mane’s absence means none of Liverpool’s famous trio will join up with the squad in their America tour. Both Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah were also given extended breaks following their participation at the Copa America and Africa Cup of Nations Cup respectively.
Firmino helped Brazil win their first continental title since 2007 while Salah’s Egypt reached the second round of the nations cup losing to South Africa.
Both are expected to link up with the squad for their European tour but Mane has been excluded. The former Southampton man will be back five days before Liverpool’s premier league opener against Norwich on August 9.
Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp does not expect the extended break to affect his number 10, saying he is in good shape. He is in good shape,” the manager told Liverpoolfc.com.
“Obviously they had a celebration in Senegal and I’m happy about that because it showed that they respect the competition and saw the second place as a success, which is nice.
“He is now on holiday, not the longest one – he will be back on August 5, after the Manchester City game. That means he had two weeks. There is four or five days to prepare for Norwich, 10 days for Chelsea [in the UEFA Super Cup].”
