Mane, Mendy, Sarr and Kouyate called up to Senegal squad for AFCON 2022
Senegal’s head coach Aliou Cisse has revealed a 27-man final squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations which will take place in Cameroon next month.
Calls ups have been given to Sadio Mane and Edouard Mendy to represent The Teranga Lions at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Premier League stars Chiekhou Kouyate, Ismaila Sarr and Nampalys Mendy have also been included in their squad for the competition, which runs between January 9 and February 6 in Cameroon.
However, the inclusion of Watford forward Sarr does not mean he will be available for the start of the tournament. Sarr is expected to be out until February.
Despite this, Senegal manager Aliou Cisse has called him up and said: “Ismaila Sarr may not join the team on Dec 27. He could continue his rehabilitation with Watford but his injury is progressing well and we hope to have him from the quarter-finals.”
Other standout names in the squad included Kalidou Koulibaly, Paris Saint-Germain’s Idrissa Gueye and Keita Balde.
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Players from the Premier League who have been called up for the tournament are likely to miss as many as three rounds of league fixtures, although there would be the potential for them to miss a fourth amid possible isolation issues following the tournament’s conclusion.
They would also be absent for the third round of the FA Cup.
The Teranga Lions are in Group B alongside Guinea, Zimbabwe & Malawi.
Full Squad
Goalkeepers: Seny Dieng (QPR), Alfred Gomis (Torino), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Defenders: Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Ibrahima Mbaye (Bologna), Bouna Sarr (Bayern Munich), Abdoulaye Seck (Antwerp), Fode Ballo-Toure (AC Milan), Abdoulaye Diallo (Nottingham Forest), Pape Abou Saliou (Olympiacos), Saliou Ciss (Angers)
Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester), Pape Matar Sarr (Metz), Moustapha Name (Paris FC), Ibrahima Ndiaye (Luzern), Pape Gueye (Marseille), Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham), Joseph Lopy (Sochaux)
Forwards: Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Boulaye Dia (Villarreal), Ismaila Sarr (Rennes), Keita Balde (Cagliari), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor), Habib Diallo (Strasbourg), Bamba Dieng (Marseille), Mame Thiam (Kayserispor)
