Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has decided to gamble on Sadio Mane and include in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup despite the 30-year-old picking up an injury on Tuesday.

The forward was taken off with an apparent knee injury 20 minutes into Bayern Munich’s 6-1 Bundesliga victory over Werder Bremen.

Reports on Wednesday then suggested that the Bayern star will not travel to Qatar with the Teranga Lions following an initial diagnosis.

But according to AFP, Cisse has listed the player in his selection despite the injury.

The squad will be announced on Friday.

A source within the country’s football federation told the news agency on Thursday: “One thing is certain, Sadio Mane will be on the list tomorrow.”

The source added that Mane “remains calm, he’s professional, he knows that injury is part of the job.”

The Senegal team doctor, Manuel Afonso, has flown to Munich to assess the extent of Mane’s injury.

On Tuesday, Bayern’s assistant coach Dino Toppmöller said the leg injury was not “too serious” and the Senegal international should be fit for the World Cup in Qatar.

“Sadio Mané was hit on the leg, which caused him a little nerve pain,” Toppmöller said. “Nothing too serious and his participation in the World Cup should not be in jeopardy.”

Should he gets cleared from the injury, Mane is expected to lead the Senegal’s attack at the World Cup.

The Lions of Teranga will face the Netherlands in their Group A opener, followed by Qatar and Ecuador.